Utilizing New York City's Waterways

8/3/2019 Utilizing New York City's Waterways

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BREAKOUT SESSION #3: The 6th Borough: Utilizing New

York Citys Waterways

Roland Lewis, the President and CEO of the Metropolitan WaterfrontAlliance, began by stating that the Citys Blueways have enormousuntapped potential for recreation, freight, and public transit.

Andrew Genn, the Senior VP of the NYC Economic DevelopmentCorporations Maritime Division said that for centuries, waterborne transit

of goods and people has been an driver of the NYC economy and

waterfront development.

From the clipper ships of Brooklyn to the Erie Canal to scheduleddepartures of vessels to European ports, New York has always been at the

forefront of water technology and innovation.

While there is great room for expansion, New York does have the secondlargest ferry service in the world (Istanbul is the largest), and the City

remains a center for maritime trade, employing over 33,000 workers.

Genn noted that EDCs focus on the East River as a critical Blueway has paidoff so far, with nearly three times as many passengers as projected on the

new East River Ferry service. Despite this success, Genn reiterated the

importance of driving down costs (the East River Ferry pilot received $300

million in City subsidies) and seeking a ferry system free of public subsidy.

Paul Goodman, the CEO of BillyBey Ferry Company which runs the EastRiver Ferry and other routes in New York, said that ferry service is a great

example of effective public-private partnerships: docking bases funded by

city and state financing, and the ferry service run by a private developer.

For instance, the City is installing shelters along the East River Ferry route

so that passengers may continue to wait for the Ferry in comfort during

winter months.


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Echoing Lewis, Goodman said that his ferry service is designed to connectNew Yorkers not just to their jobs, but also to recreational areas such as

Brooklyn Bridge Park and Governors Island in an environmentally-conscious

manner. 100% of his ferries run on ultra low sulfur diesel.

Lastly, Goodman emphasized the importance of land-based connectivity toferry services. Because the subway system does not reach most waterfront

areas, ferries must provide reliable, consistent bus connections from the

water to the interior of Manhattan in order to make ferry service an

integrated part of a larger transit network.

Nicholas Zvegintzov of the Staten Island Ferry Riders Committee lauded theFerrys weekday service, but expressed concern about overcrowding during

weekend evenings and stated that much of the Island is far from SaintGeorge and in need of additional water-borne transit options.

Maggie Scott Greenfield, the Deputy Director of the Bronx River Alliance,highlighted how the Citys waterways can and should be a magnet for

recreation and a way to reconnect communities long separated by the

proliferation of highways. Through public-private partnerships, the Alliance

has restored the ecology and environment of the Bronx River, making it a

destination for people across the City.

Councilmember James Sanders, Jr., who represents the Rockaways, saidthat the current subway commute can take nearly 90 minutes, while a ferry

service would get people to Lower Manhattan in 35 minutes. The trick is

getting the cost/trip down to a rate of less than $5/ride.

Councilmember Sanders suggested that the City continue to partner withprivate business, as it has with the IKEA Red Hook ferry service, to spread

ferry service citywide. For instance, he stated that the Casino currently

being constructed at Aqueduct Racetrack could provide an additional draw

to increase rider ship as well as provide a commercial partner in the

venture.


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Some in the audience suggested that the Staten Island Ferry should not befree, as it has been since 1997.

Some audience members from Upper Manhattan expressed concerns abouterosion and sink holes caused, perhaps, by increased ship traffic along the

East and Hudson rivers. Genn said that EDC was aware of the concerns andhad established wake zones, slow zones, and more absorbent shore lines in

an effort to combat the problem.

The audience urged the panelists and others to consider best practices fromother cities, including offering park and ride options like in Hull,

Massachusetts outside Boston and Venice, Italy. In addition, the audience

said that the trip itself should be a selling point with the gorgeous views of

the City that water-borne transit provides.

Lastly, an audience member wondered why the City doesnt simply put outa Request for Proposals (RFP) for private companies to perform ferry

service along potentially profitable routes. One reason, Genn stated, is that

the upfront capital cost of buying a boat and ensuring its safety is

significantly higher than for the creation of dollar van routes, for instance.

TAKEAWAY: New York has historically been linked to the water, but in recentyears, even as the City has grown economically and demographically, we are

curiously detached from the water. While trans-Hudson ferry service/SI ferry

service carry more passengers than any other American City, all five boroughs

are linked by the Citys blueways and the possibilities for commuting and

recreational water-borne transit are significant. Ultimately, the City must

continue to partner with private ferry providers and large businesses (think IKEA)

in order to identify potentially self-sufficient ferry routes and cut travel time for

the thousands of New Yorkers who live near the water, but far from masstransit.

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Utilizing New York City's Waterways