Quinn’s Call for a Citywide Ferry System Answered By a Loud AMEN! by Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance
February 13th, 2008 at 12:36 pm[Source: Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance]
New York, NY — In her State of the City Address today, City Council President Christine Quinn called for cleaner and more accessible mass transit for NYC residents and visitors. “With some neighborhoods more than three quarters of a mile from a subway station we need to examine other modes of transportation. It’s only natural to look at our natural highways…our water ways…to move New Yorkers efficiently and sustainably.” “…this is an idea that came straight from listening to New Yorkers…” “In the near future we’ll outline our strategy for developing what will be one of the most significant transit initiatives in recent New York City history.”
The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance is the city’s premiere voice for the intelligent and equitable development of the waterfront. MWA is an alliance of 323 civic organizations with an interest in improving the region’s waterways.
As “blue avenues,” the waterways have tremendous value in at least two ways: one, they are already paid for, provided for us by nature, and so don’t require costly construction to dig tunnels, lay tracks or build bridges; two, as transportation resources go, they are the most resilient resources we have - while a blackout, a labor strike and an act of terror have each paralyzed our whole transportation system in the last 6 years, the waterways have continued to flow and in many ways constituted a lifeline for millions of people and businesses impacted by these events. A ferry ride to work should be as affordable as a subway or bus ride, and the ferries should be seamlessly integrated into our mass transit system.
MWA Recommends:
o Make MetroCard technology the standard fare collection system device on all ferries
o Identify funding sources so that low and ultra-low sulfur diesel, and bio-fuel becomes standard for ferries
o Develop innovative ferry design that minimizes both damaging wakes as well as noxious air emissions
o Connect upland transit buses to every ferry landing
o Create access between central business districts and airports via ferry
o Develop region-wide master plan for ferries that links boats to landside mass transit including buses, subways and rail
o Subsidize ferries to make them competitive with other forms of mass transit
A well-funded and well-maintained ferry system will enhance our infrastructure, open up our waterfronts – and create jobs for New Yorkers.
* * * * *
About the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance
MWA is dedicated to the transformation of the New York and New Jersey harbor and waterways to make them clean and accessible, a vibrant place to play, learn and work, with great parks, great jobs and great transportation for all. MWA has established a Task Force on Mass Water Transit linking water transit to upland mass transit and making it affordable. www.waterfrontalliance.org – www.waterwire.net/issues/watertransit.cfm
Permanent link to this story: Link
Tags: Biodiesel, Christine Quinn, Ferry, Ferry Subsidies, Infrastructure, Metrocard, Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, NYC, Subway, Transportation
February 13th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
I read the entire text of Quinn’s speech. In the sentences before talking about the the waterways and citywide ferries, she said, “… there are limits to what we can realistically do given our budget situation this year.”
To me that comes across as “this will never happen because the city is facing an upcoming deficit, but anyway wouldn’t it be great to have ferries, even if we can’t actually build them.”
Sadly, I think a city run, metrocard based, city wide ferry system is about as likely to happen as the 2nd avenue subway or putting the Gowanus Expressway underground.
Sorry to be such a naysayer. I desperately want the ferry back in Sunset Park - and am willing to ride it at almost any price. But I don’t think the city will ever get it together enough to create an entire ferry system. Look, the city hasn’t even given subsidies to NY WaterTaxi! Doing that wouldn’t take the 100 years it will take the city to plan, fund, and build a city owned & operated ferry system.
Quinn’s full text is here
http://council.nyc.gov/html/releases/SOC_2008.pdf