State Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder, center at podium, and Councilman Eric Ulrich, third from right, called on mayoral candidates to back a permanent ferry service from Rockaway to Manhattan. Photo Courtesy NYS Assembly
This is no time to see which way the winds blow – there needs to be a permanent ferry service to and from the Rockaways, elected officials from South Queens said last week.
State Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Rockaway Park) and Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) called on mayoral candidates from both sides of the political aisle to sign a pledge of support for ensuring those wanting to get to and from the peninsula will be able to do so on the ferry.
The ferry, which costs $2 for the 35-minute trip from Rockaway to Manhattan and vice-versa, was re-established after Hurricane Sandy destroyed the A-subway line and left Rockaway residents with few options for mass transportation. Mayor Bloomberg announced last week that the service, which is much faster than the 90-minute trip on the A line from Rockaway to Manhattan, will run through Jan. 31, 2014 – longer than originally planned.
“I commend the city for extending this vital means of transportation for our communities struggling to recover nearly 10 months after Sandy,” Goldfeder said. “Every candidate running for mayor must sign the pledge to demonstrate to voters in Southern Queens and Rockaway that they understand and will address local concerns.”
Ulrich too said mayoral hopefuls need to pay attention to the wishes of Rockaway residents who have long felt ignored by City Hall.
“Anyone running for public office who wants to join us in representing the people of Rockaway need to sign this pledge,” Ulrich said. “Our constituents deserve permanent ferry service, and the future mayor of our great city is the only one who can guarantee that.”
The ferry service, operated by Seastreak, will continue to operate until next year, but the new mayor will determine whether or not it will remain.
Council Speaker and mayoral candidate Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) and former MTA Chairman and Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota vowed to make the service permanent – a measure that has also landed the support of Democratic mayoral hopeful and former Brooklyn Councilman Sal Albanese.
“When I’m mayor, I’ll make that ferry permanent and make sure it stays at the current $2 fare,” Quinn said in a prepared statement. “And I’ll bring even more ferry fourtes to all five boroughs as part of my plan to make sure no New Yorker has to spend more than an hour commuting.”
Lhota also said he would continue the “service uninterrupted.
“The people of the Rockaways deserve equitable transportation options at a low cost,” Lhota said in a prepared statement. “Making this ferry service permanent will make a big difference in improving the quality of life for New Yorkers.”
The ferry is located at Beach 108t Street and Beach Channel Drive and travels to Manhattan between Pier 11 and East 34th Street. The ferry has logged more than 120,000 passenger trips after Sandy.
By Anna Gustafson
