Source: Golden's office
The following is a press release from the offices of State Senator Marty Golden:
Brooklyn – State Senator Martin J. Golden (R-C-I, Brooklyn) has issued the following statement following the State of the Borough Address delivered by Brooklyn Borough President Markowitz last evening:
“As a long time advocate for waterborne transportation, I commend Borough President Marty Markowitz for announcing that among his priorities is that which seeks to bringing ferry service to Brooklyn. I am especially looking forward to working with him and the City to get the boats in the water from Manhattan to the 69th Street Pier and Sheepshead Bay.
I join my fellow Brooklyn residents in calling for ferry service for Kings County. As motorists are faced with an increase in gas prices and tolls, as well as traffic congestion, taking the waterways instead of the highways, will be more cost efficient and convenient. Brooklynites deserve the chance to have ferry service and I will continue to make the case for that in upcoming discussions.”
Senator Marty Golden, in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001, worked with City officials and Community Board 10 to institute ferry service at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. The ferry service operated with periods of interruption from that time until July, 2010.
Sheepshead Bites wrote about Markowitz’s plans, the ferry proposal and some of the drawbacks in a post published yesterday.
Staten Island Ferry - stealing our money with every rider // Source: Daniel Schwen via Wikimedia Commons
Yeah, I said it: screw Staten Island. I never liked it, and I wish we could just gift it to New Jersey. And when we gift it, we better get a tax break for all the wonderful things bestowed upon it for being a member of the City of New York.
Among all those wonderful things, there’s one that really irks me: the ferry. The free ferry.
Let’s back up a second. I was talking to BrooklynQ last week, discussing the MTA fare hikes and joking about seeing it go back down once the economy kicks in again. You know we were joking, because we’re all aware that once the city starts charging for something, prices only ever go up – never down.
That is a rule; one we all know too well. But every rule has its exception, and ’round here that exception is the Staten Island ferry. I’ll say it again: the free Staten Island ferry, operated by the Department of Transportation.
Keep reading my rant about the free Staten Island ferry, how it came to be free, and why we should start charging these mooches.
With the city trying to breathe new life into Coney Island, they’re also looking to revive a dead idea: ferry service.
Following last week’s announcement that the city purchased 6.9 acres of amusement district real estate from Thor Equities developer Joe Sitt for $95.6 million, they have started a consultant search to reevaluate Coney Island’s potential for ferry service to Manhattan and northern Brooklyn. If the site is deemed worthy, it stands to receive $3.2 million in federal transportation funding. Continue Reading »
City Councilman Michael Nelson will be hosting the NYC Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) and the NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) at Kingsborough Community College (KBCC) for a meeting. The meeting, to be held on July 22, will be to introduce the city’s effort to expand ferry service from additional areas in Brooklyn.
The Comprehensive Citywide Ferry Study flyer asks New Yorkers to attend the meeting to let them know if there are more than 11 possible ferry landing locations in Brooklyn that might have been overlooked. Zetlin Consultants, the firm hired by the city to examine the issue, is looking at Sheepshead Bay, Floyd Bennett Field, Coney Island, and Bay Ridge – among other sites – for possible ferry launch sites.
Councilman Nelson is currently advocating for such ferry service out of Sheepshead Bay, but is holding back full support until more information is available regarding parking, cost, duration of the trip, and other practicalities such as whether it will be necessary to dredge the bay to offer services.
Even though KBCC is known as being out in the boondocks, let’s hope that doesn’t dissuade people from attending this important meeting. We suggest that you take public transportation. It’s a cool walk from the subway or take the bus that stops about two blocks from the college.
Brooklyn Public Meeting
Comprehensive Citywide Ferry Study
Kingsborough Community College
2001 Oriental Boulevard
Brooklyn, NY 11235
Rm. U219/U200
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
7 p.m.
