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New City Wide Ferry Service Starts Today


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New York Today: Our City’s New Ferry

 

New York Today

By ALEXANDRA S. LEVINE and JONATHAN WOLFE 

MAY 1, 2017

01nytoday-master768.jpg

 
The new ride. CreditKarsten Moran for The New York Times

 

Updated, 9:06 a.m.

Good morning on this misty Monday.

 

Today, you have another way to get around the city by water.

NYC Ferry opens this morning.

 

The service, with six lines, will eventually link Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx along the East River.

 

Ferries on two of those lines — the Rockaway, Queens, route and the existing East River route — are up and running, with the South Brooklyn and Astoria routes expected to follow in August, and the Lower East Side and the Bronx routes in the summer of 2018.

A one-way trip will cost $2.75, the same as a subway ride. For $1 more, you can bring your bicycle onboard. (You can also purchase a 30-day pass.)tinue reading the main story

 
All routes have battery-charging stations and concession stands, and Wi-Fi is on its way, too.

The Rockaway route:

• This ferry will make three stops: RockawaySunset Park and Wall Street/Pier 11.

• On weekday mornings, the earliest boat will depart Rockaway at 5:30 a.m. and Sunset Park at 6:15 to arrive at the Wall Street pier by 6:28.

• Commuting the other way? The earliest boat will depart Wall Street at 6:30 a.m. and Sunset Park at 6:45 to arrive in Rockaway by 7:27.

• Traveling on the weekend? You can see that schedule here.

 

The current East River route:

 

• The ferry will still make stops at East 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan; Hunters Point SouthGreenpointNorth and South Williamsburg and Dumbo in Brooklyn; Governors Island; and Wall Street/Pier 11 in Lower Manhattan. So what’s new? There will be an additional vessel, which means more frequent service.

• You can see the schedule here.

Download the NYC Ferry app to check schedules, purchase tickets, sign up for alerts and learn more.

 

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/nyregion/new-york-today-citywide-ferry-service-begins.html?_r=0

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See, I want to like this "Citywide" ferry service, but the extent of the system is really small...

 

Like for example, no service to West Midtown or World Financial Center(both popular areas with existing ferry landings) the Coney Island-Stapleton route has disappeared off the map, and the Bay Ridge and Rockaway ferries won't serve Midtown East.

 

I'd be happy with the current iteration as like a Phase 1 to a larger system, but this seems to be it.

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See, I want to like this "Citywide" ferry service, but the extent of the system is really small...

 

Like for example, no service to West Midtown or World Financial Center(both popular areas with existing ferry landings) the Coney Island-Stapleton route has disappeared off the map, and the Bay Ridge and Rockaway ferries won't serve Midtown East.

 

I'd be happy with the current iteration as like a Phase 1 to a larger system, but this seems to be it.

That's precisely what it is... Phase 1... The communities that yelled the loudest got service first, that being areas like the Rockaways.  There are plenty of neighborhoods that have said they want it too such as Throggs Neck in the Bronx and parts of Northeast Queens, but those areas would definitely be part of the service expansion.  This is a very expensive investment for the city, so it's unreasonable to think that you could have so many lines up and running at once.  In addition to the community meetings, the city also had to hire consultants to study the environmental impact of such service and that also takes time and money.  Any service expansions will see similar issues and will require community input.

 

A Coney Island-Stapleton route... Well who is going to ride it? You need people with MONEY that can afford the ride.  Even at $2.75, some have stated that it would double their commuting costs, though it still costs less than the express bus.

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That's precisely what it is... Phase 1... The communities that yelled the loudest got service first, that being areas like the Rockaways.  There are plenty of neighborhoods that have said they want it too such as Throggs Neck in the Bronx and parts of Northeast Queens, but those areas would definitely be part of the service expansion.  This is a very expensive investment for the city, so it's unreasonable to think that you could have so many lines up and running at once.  In addition to the community meetings, the city also had to hire consultants to study the environmental impact of such service and that also takes time and money.  Any service expansions will see similar issues and will require community input.

 

A Coney Island-Stapleton route... Well who is going to ride it? You need people with MONEY that can afford the ride.  Even at $2.75, some have stated that it would double their commuting costs, though it still costs less than the express bus.

 

Well, Coney Island-Stapleton-Midtown. You'd get people taking it from Sea Gate and Coney and Brighton, and people from Staten Island choosing to take it instead of the Ferry then Subway.

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Well, Coney Island-Stapleton-Midtown. You'd get people taking it from Sea Gate and Coney and Brighton, and people from Staten Island choosing to take it instead of the Ferry then Subway.

That would have to be studied. As it is now the people in Sea Gate barely use the express bus service they have, not to mention that Sea Gate isn't really that affluent to begin with.  It's a gated community but nothing over the top.  Brighton Beach is a possibility though with the folks in the condos.

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IDK how attractive it will be to have the Rockaway Ferry run every hour all-day, everyday. To me, it just doesn't appear to be attractive. When the Bay Ridge ferry starts running, there might be more ridership on that route ( because more people would start taking the Ferry in Sunset Park). 

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IDK how attractive it will be to have the Rockaway Ferry run every hour all-day, everyday. To me, it just doesn't appear to be attractive. When the Bay Ridge ferry starts running, there might be more ridership on that route ( because more people would start taking the Ferry in Sunset Park). 

It doesn't run all day though, so what's your point?

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It doesn't run all day though, so what's your point?

The schedule is unattractive for people who want to use it. 

 

Perhaps you can get away with that type of schedule on the weekends, but on weekdays, especially during the rush hour, I don't think run ferries every hour is the way to go. To me, it seems half-assed. At least provide half-hourly service during peak periods or something.

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The schedule is unattractive for people who want to use it. 

 

Perhaps you can get away with that type of schedule on the weekends, but on weekdays, especially during the rush hour, I don't think run ferries every hour is the way to go. To me, it seems half-assed. At least provide half-hourly service during peak periods or something.

I would disagree with that.  Most of Queens only has an express bus or the LIRR as an alternative to the subway, and guess what? They run hourly for the most part off-peak, especially the express buses and people use them.... The city is spending over $300 million dollars for this service so it has to first prove to be profitable before it can be expanded. I would certainly use the service as is to go the Rockaways and walk around in Neponsit for example. The Rockaways can be a new destination with new restaurants and shops.

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I'll be checking this ferry out.

What I'm most interested in are the expansions, such as service to Astoria & The Lower East Side. They picked a pretty odd location for the LES ferry location, and the Astoria routing seems to be rather interesting. Luckily, that's coming in August.

 

See, I want to like this "Citywide" ferry service, but the extent of the system is really small...

 

Like for example, no service to West Midtown or World Financial Center(both popular areas with existing ferry landings) the Coney Island-Stapleton route has disappeared off the map, and the Bay Ridge and Rockaway ferries won't serve Midtown East.

 

I'd be happy with the current iteration as like a Phase 1 to a larger system, but this seems to be it.

 

They could do what NY Waterways does and run shuttle buses to/from the ferries. The Rockaways has shuttle buses to the ferry.

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I'll be checking this ferry out.

 

What I'm most interested in are the expansions, such as service to Astoria & The Lower East Side. They picked a pretty odd location for the LES ferry location, and the Astoria routing seems to be rather interesting. Luckily, that's coming in August.

 

 

They could do what NY Waterways does and run shuttle buses to/from the ferries. The Rockaways has shuttle buses to the ferry.

The locations were chosen based upon environmental studies and community feedback. In some cases they tried to work with existing structures to keep costs down. I think this is the case with some slips located in Manhattan.  

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I'll be checking this ferry out.

 

What I'm most interested in are the expansions, such as service to Astoria & The Lower East Side. They picked a pretty odd location for the LES ferry location, and the Astoria routing seems to be rather interesting. Luckily, that's coming in August.

 

 

They could do what NY Waterways does and run shuttle buses to/from the ferries. The Rockaways has shuttle buses to the ferry.

 

Does TransExpress do the Rockaway shuttles? I might have seen the 34th Street-Manhattan one a couple of times.

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The locations were chosen based upon environmental studies and community feedback. In some cases they tried to work with existing structures to keep costs down. I think this is the case with some slips located in Manhattan.  

 

That's according to what they say.

 

They pegged for two prime locations in the LES which allows connections to neighboring buses and got rejected, mostly because of community backlash. I remember a few of the people saying and I quote "keep them in the subways, our area is quiet". One of those locations was near the East River Park.

 

Corlears Hook is one very odd location for the ferries.

 

Does TransExpress do the Rockaway shuttles? I might have seen the 34th Street-Manhattan one a couple of times.

 

I actually don't know. I might've seen them too now that you mention it.

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That's according to what they say.

 

They pegged for two prime locations in the LES which allows connections to neighboring buses and got rejected, mostly because of community backlash. I remember a few of the people saying and I quote "keep them in the subways, our area is quiet". One of those locations was near the East River Park.

 

LOL! I worked with the company that was involved in the EIS, so it was interesting to see the presentation, and yes, some of those meetings were very heated, especially the one in Brooklyn Heights. Those LES folks are outspoken as well.  I must say though that every time I have meetings down there I hate it.  The transportation really sucks in that area, and I'm usually stuck with the (F) as the only option outside a taxi, so having the ferry is a nice option.

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Pretty cheap for ferry service... When I first heard about this whole thing, I thought the fare would end up being some exorbitant amount.... I personally don't/wouldn't have a need for it (nor am I really fond of ferries in general), but if this aids in having enough people refrain from using the subway & the bus (as much), I have zero qualms about it.....

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That's according to what they say.

 

They pegged for two prime locations in the LES which allows connections to neighboring buses and got rejected, mostly because of community backlash. I remember a few of the people saying and I quote "keep them in the subways, our area is quiet". One of those locations was near the East River Park.

 

Corlears Hook is one very odd location for the ferries.

 

 

I actually don't know. I might've seen them too now that you mention it.

 

Just googled an image right now, it's TransExpress.

 

original.jpg

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For the 34th street route, I remember once taking a ferry a few years ago from 34th street to LIC then Brooklyn. It was run by a private company and cost more than $2.75. 

 

Does this new service replace it, or compete with it? 

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It replaced it. East River Ferry(old one) was the one you rode and NYC ferry(new one) came into service today. Backed by DeBlasio, whereas East River was a private company I believe and does anyone know what's going to happen with East River Ferry and their boats?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using NYC Transit Forums mobile app

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It replaced it. East River Ferry(old one) was the one you rode and NYC ferry(new one) came into service today. Backed by DeBlasio, whereas East River was a private company I believe and does anyone know what's going to happen with East River Ferry and their boats?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using NYC Transit Forums mobile app

 

Thanks! From a quick googling, it's hard to tell if East River Ferry turned into NYC Ferry (meaning, no employees were fired, etc) or if they are just out of business. Anyone have further info on this?

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Thanks! From a quick googling, it's hard to tell if East River Ferry turned into NYC Ferry (meaning, no employees were fired, etc) or if they are just out of business. Anyone have further info on this?

It says that East River Ferry will be integrated into NYC Ferry, whatever that means.
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