Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn Announce Start of Rockaway Ferry Service On May 12, Restored Service to Williamsburg and Expanded East River Routes
May 5th, 2008 at 7:36 pm[Press Release: NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg]
City and Council-funded programs to be joined with federal funding and allocations from Congress-members Nadler and Maloney
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. The route, which will run from Riis Landing in Far Rockaway to the Brooklyn Army Terminal to Pier 11 on South Street will connect commuters in Brooklyn and Southern Queens with Lower Manhattan. Additional East River ferry service from Pier 11 and 34th Street to Long Island City and South Williamsburg will be re-launched by a private operator in July, and expanded East River ferry service is expected to begin in two years. The City will also be analyzing additional launch locations across the five boroughs as it looks to expand and encourage the use of this convenient, environmentally sustainable transit mode to places like West 125th Street, Riverdale, Coney Island and Camp St. Edward on Staten Island, among other locations. At the announcement at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, the Mayor and Speaker were joined by DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, Economic Development Corporation President Seth Pinsky, United States Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Jerrold Nadler, and New York City Council Member Sarah Gonzalez.
“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. I thank Mayor Bloomberg and my Council colleagues for their incredible support on this project. Ferries offer New Yorkers an affordable, convenient and environmentally responsible way of getting from point A to point B. By making them a key part of our city’s transportation infrastructure, we are helping to ensure that New York City remains a shining example of urban sustainability for cities all over the world.”
Read the full press release at the Office of the Mayor of the City of New York.
Watch the video from the Office of the Mayor of the City of New York.
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Tags: Brooklyn, Brooklyn Army Terminal, Carolyn Maloney, Christine Quinn, Commute, Coney Island, East River, Economic Development Corporation, Ferry, Greenpoint, Hunters Point, Infrastructure, Jerrold Nadler, Long Island City, Manhattan, Mayor Bloomberg, NYC, Pier 11, PlaNYC 2030, Queens, Riverdale, Sarah Gonzalez, Seth Pinsky, Staten Island, Sustainability, Transportation, Williamsburg
May 6th, 2008 at 7:35 am
Are you kidding with this new Rockaway schedule? Most people work till 5:00 p.m. and would never be able to catch a 4:30 p.m. boat leaving from Pier 11. And why if they get out at 5:00 p.m. wait for a 6:30 p.m. boat? It is doomed for failure. You must add another boat for the 5:00 p.m. people. Say 5:15 p.m. and/or 5:30 p.m. (The morning schedule is fine - 8:25 p.m. at the Terminal). Don’t you remember the Brooklyn Army Terminal previous schedule. The first boat was always empty. You might as well put a schedule in mid-day - as this schedule is only good for a handful of commuters!
Hopefully, you can accommodate another boat.
Thanks.
Clare Mazza
[Ed. note: Thank you for your input Clare. We have also noted those same dilemmas and we are working to correct the issues that you mention so that commuting via ferry is easy, fast, and inexpensive. Please stay tuned for further updates about ferry service. In the meantime, we suggest that you — and anyone else who feels the same way — please make your feelings known by sending your comments to the Mayor’s office, Speaker Quinn’s office, and the DOT. Thank you again.]