Sunset-Ridge Waterfront Alliance

[Source: New York Post]

Making Quinn’s Vision Work

By Arthur Imperatore

Arthur Imperatore is founder of NY Waterway.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn this week proposed a visionary plan to develop commuter-ferry service linking the boroughs of New York City, offering a new transit alternative for emerging waterfront communities, especially in Brooklyn and Queens.

Her vision can and must work - it means commutes of less than 10 minutes from the Brooklyn or Queens waterfront to the city’s Pier 11 ferry terminal at the foot of Wall Street.

But the plan needs some tweaking.

I’ve shared Quinn’s vision since I started NY Waterway 21 years ago. Our Hudson River commuter ferries carry 32,000 people on 21 routes linking New York and New Jersey.

But I’ve also seen East River service fail. To duplicate the Hudson River success, Quinn and other city leaders must study the New Jersey model.

First, you need customers to ride the ferries. East River service has failed because there haven’t been passengers to pay the cost of ferry service and because service has been too limited.

Part of providing that base is coordinating bus service to bring people to the ferry landing - which helps to build a customer base for the ferry and adds value to neighborhoods further from the water.

The trickier issue is waterfront development -a “chicken and egg” situation. While ferry service encourages waterfront development, waterfront development is vital in providing the customers for successful ferry service.

It’s all in the timing. You can’t start successful ferry service before development starts, but you must have a commitment - backed by the city - that once new residents start moving in, the ferry service will be there.

And it must be true commuter service - with ferries running every 20 to 30 minutes during the morning and evening rush hour. New York commuters just won’t use a ferry that only runs once an hour.

But, for the first year or so, fares simply won’t cover the cost of providing sufficient ferry service. Most riders will pay a bit more for faster commutes - but building up ridership volume to make the business sustainable takes time.

What’s needed is a guarantee - from developers and/or government agencies - to pay the ferry operator the difference between the cost of service and fare collections.

The attraction of a ferry commute helps convince people to live on or near the waterfront. Since the ferry service adds value for the developers, they should help pay for a guarantee that ferry service will start once they have units ready to show to potential buyers or renters. (The city has an interest, too - the more valuable properties mean more tax revenue for it, as well as happier citizens.)

Read the complete article at the New York Post.

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