The city made good on its promise to expand ferry service this week with the announcement of a new ferry line, which will run from Far Rockaway to Pier 11 near Wall St. starting Mon., May 12. The $6 ferry ride, which also includes a stop at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, will take about an hour.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn unveiled the new line as part of broader plan to connect the five boroughs by boat. They hope to add additional stops to the ferry route this summer, including E. 34th St., South Williamsburg in Brooklyn and Queens West. The next phase of the project, which will take longer, could include stops in North Williamsburg and Greenpoint in Brooklyn. The city also wants to build a new landing on Roosevelt Island.
“Ferries offer New Yorkers an affordable, convenient and environmentally responsible way of getting from point A to point B,” Quinn said in a statement. The new route is the first concrete result of Quinn’s plan, announced in February, to expand ferry service between the boroughs.
The city is putting up $1.1 million to subsidize the Rockaway ferry, according to news reports. It is a two-year pilot program, starting with two weekday trips and soon expanding to weekends.
To attract commuters to the new ferry stops, the city is working to connect the ferries to bus service. The city also hopes to reduce the price of ferry rides so they are comparable to express buses.
As the city rolls out new service to existing docks, the mayor is also looking to build new docks in waterfront neighborhoods. In early 2009, the city will launch a survey to choose the sites for that expansion.
