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Apr. 19-25, 2019 Your Neighborhood — Your News®
ALSO COVERING AUBURNDALE, COLLEGE POINT, DOUGLASTON, GLEN OAKS, FLORAL PARK
• LITTLE NECK LEDGER
• WHITESTONE TIMES
Full steam ahead on northeast ferry
Vallone doubles down on Queens service expansion while calling for more city oversight
his constituents. Back in
September, Vallone pushed
for a Willets Point ferry
stop for northeast Queens
residents following an
EDC feasibility study. In
2014, the councilman along
with then-Councilwoman
Julissa Ferreras-Copeland
and Councilman Peter Koo,
penned a letter to request a
pilot program testing out the
long-term viability of ferry
service from Manhattan to
Citi Field in Flushing and to
Fort Totten in Bayside.
NYC Ferry Service
operates a combined 21 stops
in Queens, Brooklyn and
Manhattan, with more stops
in development.
In 2020, they will
launch the St. George route
connecting Staten Island with
the West Side of Manhattan
and a Coney Island route in
2021, which connects to Wall
Street/Pier 11.
A current EDC report said
that the ferry service serves
approximately 18,000 riders
on weekdays and 28,000 riders
on Saturdays and Sundays.
SPRING IN FULL SWING
Swings were in season during the Apple Blossom Festival held the weekend of April 13-14 at the
Queens County Farm Museum in Glen Oaks. See more photos on Page 14.
Photo by Dominick Totino Photography
BY JENNA BAGCAL
A northeast Queens
councilman continues to
advocate for advancements in
ferry service and has pushed
for legislation to create a
director of ferry operations.
At the April 9 City Council
Stated Meeting, Councilman
Paul Vallone introduced
a bill that would establish
the director position within
the Department of
Transportation (DOT).
The role would involve the
operation and maintenance of
existing ferries, ferry route
development and evaluation,
identification and assessment
of potential sites for expansion
of ferry service and public
outreach and community
engagement.
“Ferry service is an
efficient transportation option
for New Yorkers and a vital
asset to our City’s economic
development,” said Vallone,
who also serves as chair of
the Committee on Economic
Development. “As evident in
areas of our city like northeast
Queens, which lacks subway
access and oftentimes reliable
bus service, it is clear that
New Yorkers need better
ways to travel between
the boroughs.”
The director is responsible
for all ferries operated by
the Hornblower company
but will not be responsible
for the Staten Island Ferry.
Hornblower currently
operates six ferry routes with
oversite from New York’s
Economic Development
Corporation (EDC).
Vallone’s bill, which is
cosponsored by Councilman
Ydanis Rodriguez, would not
change the overall operational
structure and control of the
current system could lie under
any city entity — namely EDC
or DOT.
“As we continuously
look for ways to meet the
extraordinary demand for
public transit, our city’s
rapidly growing ferry service
is quickly becoming a viable
mass transportation option
in the City of New York,”
said Vallone. “A dedicated
Director of Ferry Services
to manage our waterways
will ensure that our ferry
system will continue to grow
and improve. I welcome
continued investment in this
successful mass transit mode
and will continue to advocate
for further expansions,
especially into the northern
Queens waterfront.”
The councilman has
been a longtime advocate
of getting ferry service for
Vol. 85 No. 16 56 total pages
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