Leave the Coney ferry to the professionals
COURIER LIFE, MAY 14-20, 2021 29
Mayor Bill de Blasio
dedicated this entire
week as “Streets
Week!” in New York City in
order to total number of improvements
aimed at getting
the fi ve boroughs moving
again in the post-pandemic
era.
The improvements include
commitments to create
more bus lanes and busways
to help commuters get
around, and an expanded
bike lane network accommodating
the ever-growing
number of bicyclists using
two wheels to get around. It
also includes a number of
safety measures including
reduced speed limits on major
roadways.
Already, we can hear the
drivers of New York City
complaining about lost travel
lanes and tighter speed restrictions.
“What about us?”
might be a question you’ll
hear from many of them
when it comes to accommodating
drivers in the city.
But the city spent much
of the last century doing
nothing but accommodating
vehicles — from building
bridges meant to ease traffi
c congestion to ramming
expressways through entire
neighborhoods to get vehicles
moving faster.
What happened? The
roads became even more
clogged with traffi c. Smog
fi lled the air. Neighborhoods
were divided, even
destroyed, because of the
big highways built through
them.
So much has been done
for the automobile that it
caused d the imbalance of
the city streets — and now
the scale is tipping back toward
people.
Bus lanes and busways
speed up public transportation
at the expense of a traffi
c lane. City Transportation
Commissioner Hank Gutman
pointed out Tuesday
that the new 181st Street busway
in Washington Heights
has already seen bus speeds
increased by 27 percent –
meaning a faster commute
for those riding them.
Bike lanes give bicyclists
a safe space to ride at the expense
of traffi c lanes. More
New Yorkers are using bicycles
to commute, giving them
exercise while also protecting
the environment — and
the lanes enable them to do
so while reducing the risk of
a potentially fatal accident.
These projects, and others,
actually make it easier
to live in New York by giving
people multiple options
on how to get around. Most
residents won’t feel beholden
to owning a car, and taking
up all the expensive burdens
that come with it.
Creating a more balanced
street grid in New York
where drivers, mass transit
and bicyclists share the road
will help our city prosper
and thrive for years to come.
Nobody’s asking the drivers
to stop driving. Just
share the road, and give others
a chance to get through.
EDITORIAL
Re-balancing the streets
OP-ED
BY DANIEL IANNOU
Remember when New York
City Economic Development
Corporation dropped Coney
Island from the initial NYC
ferry lineup? Remember when
we as a community spent
years pleading with upper
echelons of city government to
be reconsidered?
After a long PR campaign,
NYCEDC recommitted to Coney
Island and agreed to take
a second look. The only reason
Coney Island was reevaluated
was contingent on analyzing
the feasibility of a Gravesend
Bay/Coney Island Creek ferry
landing location. From the
start of the process, NYCEDC
made it clear that oceanside
was not an option and would
not be studied again. Key word,
again. As the oceanside was
previously studied in the 2012
Coney Island Ferry Feasibility
Study. This study was the reason
why Coney Island was excluded
from the initial roll out
of NYC Ferry. Oceanside was
a no-go from the get-go. Either
Creekside/Gravesend Bay or
no ferry service. We as a community
chose ferry service.
NYCEDC has oversaw
the creation of fi ve new ferry
routes, construction/rehabilitation
of 21 ferry landings,
commissioned 38 passenger
vessels and established a
broad variety of other important
infrastructure needed
to sustain a ferry network. In
the grand scheme of things,
construction of ferry landings
went off without a hitch.
Not one person opposed to the
ferry landing location in Kaiser
Park has ever built a ferry
landing, has a background in
maritime passenger transportation
nor has other acceptable
credentials that fully supports
their opinion. Reasonable rational
would dictate, leave it to
the professionals.
Why did most critics of a
Kaiser Park ferry location refuse
to support a non-creek
location that NYCEDC proposed?
Why were they silent
for years? Where were they?
NYCEDC proposed a non-creek
location at West 33rd and Bayview
Avenue, which called for
constructing a new pier. The
proposed new pier would have
been a new anchor for the community.
It would have included
benches and tables for those
looking to take in the stunning
view and provide much needed
additional space for local anglers.
This was my personal
choice after NYCEDC narrowed
it down to just two locations,
Kaiser Park and Bayview
and West 33rd. In the end,
West 33rd and Bay would have
required a bit more engineering
to curtail. Perhaps if the
critics were more vocal, united
and pushed hard enough at the
appropriate time, the NYCEDC
would have been more inclined
to make West 33rd and Bayview
doable. However, even I
concede. Back in 2017, 2018 and
2019 was the appropriate time
to debate, not now.
Kasier park was not my
fi rst or even second personal
preference for a ferry landing
location. After publicly hearing
expert reasoning for years,
hearing what the NYCEDC
was willing do, hearing concerns
from my neighbors and
experiencing a post(-ish?) pandemic
New York, I’ll take what
we can get.
In 2021, what Coney Island
is able to secure is a Kasier
Park location. NYCEDC is
building a Kaiser Park ferry
landing, with service expected
to begin at the end of
2021. Ferry service is very welcoming
news, especially for us
in the western portion of the
neighborhood. As for decades,
there have been grievances
about being left out of developmental
projects geared towards
the amusement section
of the neighborhood.
Critics argue that selection
of a Coney Island ferry landing
site ought to be made by a local
hot dog business owner or a
politician with a background
in social work. Read that sentence
again. Does it make any
sense? Of course not! We do
not commission dentists to
supervise troop movements.
We do not expect generals in
the Infantry to perform root
canals. Although knowledgeable
in their respected fi elds,
they are far removed from being
experts in maritime passenger
transportation. The
critics do not have standing
to dismiss the knowledge and
experience the NYCEDC has
proven to New York they have.
This is not NYCEDC’s fi rst,
second, third or even fourth
go-around. It’s their 20th-plus
time creating a ferry landing.
Professionals such as engineers,
analysts, architects &
helmsmen evaluated the feasibility;
considered the environmental
impact and made
an informed decision. Refusing
to accept the determination
made by subject matter
experts of NYCEDC does an
extreme disservice to all residents
and visitors of Coney Island
who have eagerly waited
for desperately needed fast
ferry service. It would behoove
all of us to consolidate our energy
to discuss and enact a
plan to enhance a Kasier Park
ferry location that will further
benefi t our unique and rapidly
growing neighborhood.
Those who continue to
force an oceanside location in
2021 may mean well, but unbeknownst
to them are yet again
jeopardizing Coney Island’s
chance at ever having ferry
service. There have been serious
calls to disband NYC Ferry
in its entirety by factions in
upper levels of city government.
This should raise alarm
bells and panic buttons in Coney
Island, as well as other
waterfront hoods’ hoping to be
included in the ferry network.
We have no idea what level of
commitment the incoming
mayor and their administration
will have to NYC ferry.
Coney Island, take note of
this. Learn to read the room
and appreciate the position
we are currently in. We may
quickly fi nd ourselves to no
longer have a favorable position
and be without a ferry.
Daniel Iannou is a Coney Island
resident and the founder
of Coney Islanders 4 Ferry.