Gentile Rallies to Help Struggling Ferry Operators and to Increase City’s Use of its Underutilized Waterways
January 30th, 2008 at 3:53 pmBrooklyn — On Thursday, January 31, 2008, Council Member Vincent J. Gentile (D-Brooklyn), along with community members, elected officials and water taxi riders, will rally at the Brooklyn Army Terminal to denounce the City’s continued silence on prioritizing ferry service as a major transportation option throughout the city.
Given the latest developments, the Councilman has renewed his appeal to the city to expand subsidies to private operators, stating that rising fuel costs, inadequate infrastructure, and inaccessibility have contributed to the demise of the Sunset Park ferry service. The rally, where Gentile will be joined by The Sunset-Ridge Waterfront Alliance, comes after last week’s announcement by New York Water Taxi that ferry service to and from the Brooklyn Army Terminal at the 58th Street Pier will be suspended until further notice as of Friday, February 1.
“On this, the last day of service for this water-taxi route for the time being, the City has left the riders of this area out in the cold. I am outraged that the City continues to treat ferry service as a proverbial ‘black sheep’ during the discussions of improved mass transportation services.” Gentile said.
The suspension of ferry service at the 58th Street Pier comes on the heels of the January 1 suspension of East River ferry service by New York Water Taxi. Given the potential for ferries to offer the fastest, most reliable commutes in the City, Council Member Gentile again expressed his shock at their neglect: “Our waterfront would be the envy of almost any other city. With miles of navigable waterways, it boggles the mind that the City has not stepped in and done its part to subsidize ferry service in New York City.”
Council Member Gentile is particularly dismayed to learn of the service cut because of his persistent efforts to return ferry service to Bay Ridge. Four years ago, Council Members Gentile and Yassky set aside $500,000 to construct a ’spud barge’ at 69th Street. “That’s all it would have taken to make Bay Ridge ferry-ready,” Gentile said.
The City, however, has held this money hostage, refusing to spend it for the purpose for which it was lawfully allocated. Additionally, the 2006 budget included a $150,000 subsidy for general ferry operating costs in the City. That money, too, has yet to be spent.
What: Rally in Support of New York Water Taxi Ferry Service
When: Thursday, January 31, 2008
Time: 7:30 a.m.
Where: Brooklyn Army Terminal at the 58th Street Pier
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30, 2008
CONTACT: Kwame Patterson
Call: 718-748-5200
312-371-2485
Permanent link to this story: Link
Tags: 58th Street Pier, 69th Street Pier, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Army Terminal, David Yassky, Ferry, Fuel Costs, Inaccessibility, Infrastructure, NY Water Taxi, SRWA, Sunset Park, Transportation, Vincent Gentile
January 30th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Please don’t take our BAT ferry from us. We rely on it to get us to work on time and count on the quality of life it offers. The ferry has provided us with safety and the ability to get home when we had the power failure. Otherwise, hundreds would have had no means of getting home and would have had to spend the night in the street. It also provided us with a means to get to work when the MTA went on strike.