Some additional news to add to the story in today's amNewYork about the May 12 start for the $6 ferry from Riis Landing in Rockaway to Pier 11 in Lower Manhattan.
The announcement by Mayor Bloomberg, Council Speaker Christine Quinn and others today also included more ferry routes that will start in July. East River ferries will run from Long Island City and South Williamsburg to Pier 11 and a dock at 34th Street in Manhattan. The 34th Street pier will link up with the DOT/NYC Transit Select Bus Service that should move faster across town specially timed lights.
The two-year pilot program for Rockaway ferry service is subsidized with $1.1 million in public funds, allocated by Council Joseph Addabbo.
Phase 2 of the ferry plan will begin in two years with ferry stops in North Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Roosevelt Island. Docks have to be constructed for these locations, but are already budgeted through the design stage with $4.4 million in federal funds.
The City Council has put up $500,000 to study expanding ferry service to all five boroughs, and will consider locations that include West 125th Street and East 20th Street in Manhattan, Riverdale, Soundview, and Hunts Point in the Bronx, Sheepshead Bay and Coney Island in Brooklyn, and Camp St. Edward on Staten Island.
Comments (1)
The question, among several, will be whether Roosevelt Island residents will use the service enough to justify its fares and the costs of dock construction. Certainly the island needs increased transportation alternatives and water access is one that is long overdue.
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