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City: New ferry routes will make city greener

By Matthew Sweeney, amNewYork Staff Writer | msweeney@am-ny.com

6:56 PM EDT, May 5, 2008

The $6 ferry from Riis Landing in the Rockaways to Pier 11 in Lower Manhattan, setting sail on Monday, is just the first step in expanding ferry routes around the city, the mayor said Monday.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Council Speaker Christine Quinn and other elected officials Monday also announced that East River ferries will run from Long Island City and South Williamsburg to Pier 11 and a dock at 34th Street in Manhattan starting in July.

The idea is that the 34th Street pier will link up with a proposed rapid transit bus that should move faster across town taking advantage of specially-timed lights.

The ferry expansion, part of Bloomberg's PlaNYC proposals to "green" the city, calls for stops in North Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Roosevelt Island to open in two years. Docks would have to be constructed for these locations but are already budgeted through the design stage with $4.4 million in federal funds.

To cover the final stage of the plan, the City Council has put up $500,000 to study expanding ferry service to all five boroughs, and will look at 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; LaGuardia Airport and Astoria in Queens; and Camp St. Edward on Staten Island.

The Rockaway ferry service, which is a two-year pilot program, is subsidized with $1.1 million in city funds.