The establishment of ferry service between Canarsie Pier, Coney Island, Sheepshead Bay, the 69th Street Pier in Bay Ridge and the Brooklyn Army Terminal to Lower Manhattan and other destinations could be great news! A ferry to Southern Brooklyn gets more support (Heather J. Chin — February 8).
Many have forgotten that, prior to the opening of the Verrazano Bridge in 1964, there was regular ferry service from the 69th Street Pier in Bay Ridge to St. George, Staten Island. As a very young child growing up on Shore Road, I ran my first lemonade stand serving customers lined up waiting for the ferry at that location.
Most of our existing public transportation and roadways are already operating at or above capacity. New ferry services can be implemented far more quickly than construction of new subway, commuter rail or highways.
These can take years or even decades by the time you complete environmental reviews, planning, design, engineering, real estate acquisition, permits, procurements, construction, budgeting, identifying and securing funding over time to cover all of the various project costs before reaching beneficial use.
Completing all of the above along with finding funding for ferry boats, docks and parking with costs in the millions may be easier than finding the billions of dollars necessary for construction of new or extended subway, commuter rail or highways.
Utilization of ferry boats can also make a positive contribution to air quality. Many would be able to enjoy the fresh air, breeze and harbor views when traveling to lower and midtown Manhattan just like the 60,000 plus riders who use the Staten Island Ferry.
Larry Penner
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