A Ferry to the Rock?

As summer starts to laze its way to a close (can you believe that some kids are already going back to school?) Gothamist finds that our thoughts, and the A train, keep taking us back to Rockaway. But wouldn't it be nice if going to the beach didn't automatically require an hour-long train trip? What if you could just hop onto a boat to get there (á la the Staten Island Ferry)?

Last week Congress authorized $15 million to buy three ferries for that purpose, at the request of Representative Anthony D. Weiner, as part of a federal transportation bill. That money might get the boats (uncertain though, as the cost of ferries can be quite high) but then a number of other problems arise, like where do they put the boats (probably Riis Park) and who will pay for the upkeep (*cough* silence *cough*).

This isn't the first time that the idea of a Rockaway ferry has come up. Since 2002 the City Council has appropriated $300,000 to subsidize a ferry system but there have been no private companies interested (well, New York Waterway was interested but after its 2003, weekends-only, $26 round-trip, pilot program failed they seem to have cooled on the idea). But now maybe, just maybe, the time has come for a publicly funded Rockaway Ferry?

While Gothamist is adamant that we would ferry to Rockaway, would you?

Photograph by Kirk Condyles for the New York Times.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Garth Johnston in News on August 6, 2005 11:16 AM

Comments [rss]

ThePoint

A Life long 3rd generation Broad Channel resident, I think everyone is missing the point of why having a ferry to rockaway would be beneficial. The point of creating a ferry route is not so more people can come to rockaway use the beach, we have enough, but to make the daily commute from rockaway to Manhattan easy for rockaway and broad channel residents. Lets not loose site of that. Rockaway is a community not just a beach.

Michele Silverman

I live in the Rockaways (Broad Channel Island) and a ferry is just DUMB! If there was a ferry, then all of Rockaway would have to take subway or bus to get to the ferry. We want a better SUBWAY, like there once was a LIRR Rockaway Beach Line that got you into Penn Station in 30 mintues, making stops all over Rockaway, JFK airport and Queens. Now the city is making that old abandoned Rockaway LIRR line into a bike path. We say NO to that! We want the tracks back for a TRAIN! Rockaway needs better transit and a FERRY is not going to fix that. *NO TO THE FERRY! and YES to a BETTER Train!* Michele Silverman who takes the "A" train everyday and sees the old tracks as the train is turning into Brooklyn instead of the direct route to MANHATTAN!

BEACH BUM

rockaway is great. ferry me very happy

jane

Yes! Yes, I would ferry to Rockaway. All the time. There isn't too much to offer day trippers in Staten Island, while Rockaway has the beach, and, though it's way less of a party town than it once was, it still has a fair number of bars and restaurants and things to do -- and it is small and easy to navigate on foot.

Matthew Caldecutt

Probably not. The Rockaways just aren't that exciting. Long Beach, on the other hand, would be great. I could lounge on the beach and have time to stop off at Artie's South Shore Fish Market before heading back to Joysey.