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Full steam ahead on northeast ferry
Vallone doubles down on Queens service expansion while calling for more city oversight
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
Vol. 28 No. 16 56 total pages
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
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.
/QNS.COM