Residents in some of the city’s most transit-starved neighborhoods may be commuting by boat — and at subway fare prices — if Mayor Bill de Blasio gets his way.
The mayor announced the creation of a new city-wide ferry service which will be up and running by 2017, linking historically isolated neighborhoods like the Rockaways, Red Hook, Soundview and the Lower East Side to various parts of Manhattan.
De Blasio made the announcement at the annual State of the City address Tuesday, and said rides will be priced the same as a MetroCard fare so the service will be as “affordable to everyday New Yorkers as our subways and buses.”
The East River Ferry, which connects Manhattan with Long Island City, Williamsburg and Greenpoint, now charges $4 a ride on weekdays and $6 on weekends.
“Today, if you live in one of those neighborhoods … a job in Manhattan can easily mean an hour or more of commuting, even when the skyline is visible from your home,” said de Blasio.
“You can actually see opportunity, but practically speaking, it’s very far away,” he added. “We are going to change that.”
De Blasio said the city would allocate $55 million to build new piers and if there’s more money available, the ferry service could be expanded to Coney Island and the Stapleton section of Staten Island.
The announcement comes just four months after the mayor’s controversial decision to terminate the Rockaway ferry service after deciding that it was costing the city too much to subsidize.
The ferry service was started in 2012 and was meant to be a temporary option for Rockaway residents after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the area and disabled subway service.
Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder (D-Rockaway) applauded the mayor’s plan but suggested the vital new service be up and running before the proposed 2017 start date — which is the year de Blasio will be running for re-election.
“While I am encouraged by the news and what it means for the future of Rockaway, our families and small businesses are suffering today and need service implemented immediately,” Goldfeder said.
“Our ferry dock at Beach 108th was disassembled and shipped away overnight. It should not take two years to bring it back.”