Ferry Good News: Brooklyn Army Terminal Ferry Service to be Reinstated as Part of 5-Borough Ferry Plan
May 4th, 2008 at 1:12 pmThanks for visiting! Subscribe to the RSS feed, receive posts via email, or find other ways to subscribe in the 'Subscribe' box to the left. Thanks again and see ya soon.
UPDATE (5/5/2008 5:14 PM): Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn finally make the official announcement!
Go here for the latest including news and information about the new routes from NY Water Taxi, NYT City Room, and coverage in other local NYC media.
As many people who have been following GBK know, we have been advocating for a city-wide ferry system for some time.
News is starting to trickle in that despite losing the congestion pricing battle, Mayor Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn are set to announce the first subsidized ferry service from the Rockaways to Lower Manhattan as part of a 5-Borough ferry service initiative of PlaNYC 2030.
The route will include reinstatement of ferry service to the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, Brooklyn that was terminated this past December due to low ridership. Ferry service will be operated by the NY Water Taxi, and will be reinstated as early as Monday, May 12, 2008.
See the press release at Sunset-Ridge Waterfront Alliance (SRWA) for more information.
Green Brooklyn is among several organizations advocating for increased ferry service as a means of mass transit for NYC — increased ferry service takes cars off of our congested streets while offering a fast, viable method of commuting into Manhattan, especially for outer-borough New Yorkers.
In addition to SRWA, Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance and the Riverdale Ferry Coalition have been strong advocates for increased ferry service.
While GBK loves to inspire the community to let our elected officials know when they do something we feel is wrong, we equally love to commend our politicians when they do the right thing. So please take a second to email Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn thanking them for doing all they can to improve our mass transit system and for starting down the path to a city-wide, 5-borough ferry system.
Many thanks to all those involved, and congratulations to those who have worked hard to see ferry service restored!
See you on the water!
The Mayor’s office:
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn joined other elected officials today to announce that key parts of the plan developed by the Bloomberg Administration and the Speaker to bring ferry service to all five boroughs will begin May 12, when a new City Council-subsidized route from Far Rockaway to Lower Manhattan starts service.
[…]
“Ferries are fast, affordable, and environmentally-friendly. As our waterfront becomes even more dynamic - with new housing and open space in communities like Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and Hunters Point - ferries are going to become an even bigger part of our city’s transportation network,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “That vision of a revitalized waterfront is an important element of PlaNYC, and over the past year we’ve worked closely with Speaker Quinn and the Council to make it a reality.”
“I was proud in February to announce an ambitious initiative to make five borough ferry service a reality in New York City,” said Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “I am even prouder today that less than three months later, the first pieces of this plan are in place.
[…]
In addition, the City Council will provide approximately $500,000 to fund an in-depth study to be conducted by City agencies and outside consultants of potential sites in all five boroughs capable of supporting new ferry service, including Riverdale, Orchard Beach, Ferry Point, Soundview and Hunts Point in the Bronx; LaGuardia Airport and Astoria in Queens; Bay Ridge, and Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn; and 125th Street, East 20th Street, East 75th Street and East 90th Street in Manhattan.
Go here for the full press release from the Mayor’s office.
The new commuters’ ferry route is announced at NY Water Taxi:
New York Water Taxi has been selected to operate a commuter service between Riis Landing at Breezy Point in Rockaway, Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT) in Bay Ridge Brooklyn to Pier 11/Wall Street in Lower Manhattan beginning on Monday May 12, 2008.
More information including schedules and fare info to and from the 3 stops — Riis Landing (Far Rockaway), Brooklyn Army Terminal (Sunset Park), Pier 11/Wall St (Manhattan) — at NY Water Taxi.
Also gets attention at NYT City Room:
The new route, which begins next Monday, will run from Riis Landing in Far Rockaway to the Brooklyn Army Terminal at 58th Street to Pier 11 on South Street. It will run twice a day in each direction: 5:45 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. from the Rockaways, and 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. from Lower Manhattan. The trip will take about one hour each way.
[…]
Separately, New York Water Taxi will restart East River ferry service from Pier 11 and 34th Street to Long Island City and South Williamsburg, which it had suspended over the winter because of the lack of the more profitable tourist traffic.
Then, over the next two years, new ferry landings will be constructed at North Williamsburg and Greenpoint in Brooklyn, with federal financing paying for them. In 2005, Congress had allocated $4.4 million in federal money for new docks, which had sat largely untouched until now.
“This is the first step in a long journey,” Mr. Fox said.
Also see coverage in some other local media:
- City to start new ferry service routes (ABC - Channel 7 Eyewitness News)
- New Rockaways Ferry to Stop in Sunset Park (Gowanus Lounge)
- New ferry service set to begin May 12 (am New York)
2 Responses to “Ferry Good News: Brooklyn Army Terminal Ferry Service to be Reinstated as Part of 5-Borough Ferry Plan”
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May 4th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
[…] Green Brooklyn’s got some good news about ferry service coming back to all five boroughs. […]
May 11th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Although I applaud the intent, the new Rockaway service departures are too early and too late. The same applies to the return schedule from Manhattan. This is doomed to fail and once again we’ll hear that it’s do to low ridership. This plan does not seem earnest in nature.