The East River Ferry has proven popular, but can other routes follow suit?
It’s become exceedingly challenging to avoid talking about ferries over the last few months. Since the relative success of the East River Ferries, politicians have been drawn to the idea of an expanded ferry network like moths to a flame. Unlike, say, bus or bikes lanes or subway construction, hardly anyone gets upset when new boats are put on the water, and it’s an easier fix. Build out a pier, award a contract, and voilà, ferries. But do the ends justify this new obsession?
Nearly every mayoral candidate this year has focused on ferries as a way to expand the city’s transit network, and in a certain sense, they’re not wrong. For a city that grew up around its waterways, New York has, for decades, ignored that fact. Robert Moses built roads as close to the shoreline as possible, and ferries were an afterthought rather than a centerpiece. Lately, though, boats have come back into fashion. Blame The Lonely Island or blame the cost of subway construction, but one way or another, we can’t — and, to a point, shouldn’t — escape the lure of open seas.
Earlier this week, ferry expansion was the topic of conversation during a New York Metropolitan Transportation Council lunch with Roland Lewis, the President and CEO of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance. The meeting was billed thusly: “Once upon a time, an extensive, interconnected network of ferryboats populated New York Harbor, transporting millions of passengers throughout the burgeoning region’s islands and peninsulas. Today, after generations of disuse, renewed interest in the City’s waterfront has given rise to the highly successful East River Ferry, which has proven that fast, comfortable, convenient, and affordable ferry service can succeed in modern-day New York.”
In the intervening years since ferryboats populated the harbor, we’ve seen the rise of this thing called the subway, the omnibus, the taxicab and the personal automobile. So it’s quite reasonable why ferries may have fallen out of favor, but here we are. Dan Rivoli of amNew York was on hand to report:
Metropolitan Waterway Alliance’s Roland Lewis, in a meeting with the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, touted the city’s “God-given waterway” as a travel alternative in transit-starved neighborhoods and during an emergency on the scale of Superstorm Sandy. “We have an overburdened, congested transit system,” Lewis said. “You have to build a dock, but the transit system is there for us to use on our rivers and through the harbor.”
The Bloomberg administration and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in 2008 unveiled a plan that envisioned ferry service to all five boroughs. In addition to the Staten Island Ferry, there are city-subsidized ferries servicing the East River and residents of the Rockaways and Sunset Park. The other commuter ferries that go to Manhattan serve New Jersey riders. “I’m just hoping that the city will continue to try pilot projects,” Lewis said. “Try it with the ingredients for success in a robust way and see what kind of market develops in these areas.”
…With waterfront development growing, the Metropolitan Waterway Alliance identified 43 sites where commuter ferry service can operate, like Soundview and the South Shore of Staten Island. “It’s a good bargain,” Lewis said.
It’s a good bargain. That’s a claim we need to explore and challenge and question for it is the key to determining if ferry service should be expanded. As Rivoli reports, the city’s Economic Development Corporation has subsidized the East River Ferry — so far the most popular paid intra-city boat — to the tune of $2.25 per ride. That’s about double what the subsidy is for the city’s subway riders, and the ferries have a higher base fare without the option of a free transfer.
Meanwhile, most transit experts believe that it’s all downhill from the East River. “Ferry service is a niche. And as a niche there are places where it might work well but they’re few and far between,” Jeff Zupan, a fellow with the RPA, said to amNew York. “And most of them that have succeeded are in place.”
The problem with ferry service, as I’ve noted before, is that many New Yorkers simply do not live or work near the waterfront, and without integrated ferries into the city’s transit network, it serves no other purpose. People will not take a subway ride to get close enough to walk to a ferry terminal so that they can take the ferry to another place that’s not too near job centers. It’s perfect for the high-end developments that have sprung up in Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg and DUMBO. It’s not at all useful for the millions of landlocked New Yorkers.
So what’s the future of ferry service? And more importantly, what problem is it solving? It can be a complementary part of the transit network, but it’s not going to reach enough New Yorkers to be truly transformative. Hopefully, our next mayor realizes that.
27 comments
In terms of ridership, I suspect the most successful pay-to-ride ferry service in our harbor is the one from Weehawken to W. 39th Street …
… and the things that make it successful are: 1) a huge parking lot on one side of the river, and 2) a “free” bus service on the other.
Without those 2 elements in place, I don’t think ferry service will ever represent more than an insignificant number of commuters.
It might make more point-to-point sense if and when Hudson Yards gets up-and-running as a business destination. But that’s why downtown ferries are more functional than their midtown cousins from a utility standpoint — once you get south of Chambers/Brooklyn Bridge, your business district is right up against the shoreline in most spots. North of Chambers, the major business areas move more inland, to the point that in Midtown as of now, you’re talking about between Third and Eighth avenues.
That’s why they built the 34th Street elevated line and ran it for half a century. People getting off the Long Island Railroad at the shoreline in Long Island City and taking the ferry across didn’t want to trek all the way over from the East River to the developing midtown business district or to the north-south transit options away from the river. The new ferry services in bad weather periods will face the same dilemma.
I’m guessing that the 7 Train extension will tie very nicely into that ferry route. I wouldn’t be surprised if the ferry operator just shuttles passengers right to the new stop, if the walk is too long for some of the passengers.
I don’t think you should look at this from a service integration stand point, but rather from a redevelopment view. It’s true that it does not integrate well with the subways, but that’s because it is design to encourage the redevelopment of DUMBO, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Long Island City, and possibly Hallets Point, Roosevelt, and Governor’s Islands in the future. In many ways, an entirely new and separate New York is developing along the East River, with East River Ferry serving as the transportation backbone.
David, I admit to not being really Pro-Ferry, but the problem with your statement is except Roosevelt Island (NOT needed (F) Train & Tram), and Governor’s Island (have a ferry already), the areas you mentioned are exactly the areas that are under development NOW. The key is finding future areas that a: Need better transportation alternatives (and realistically can be offered). b: Offer Development and (or) Redevelopment opportunities. Obviously two are the East Side of Manhattan, and St George, Staten Island (those two areas have received a lot of discussion from me, and those area’s fate will be determined soon enough (St George, Next Week)). Longer term, the Rockaways are another possibility, as is Aqueduct/Broad Channel (Queens) and Hunts Point (The Bronx). Two areas outside the box are in Queens: Queensbridge, & Elmhurst. I really like Elmhurst, because it is NOT on the water (see “Sandy”), and has a possibility of rail service (LIRR).
I looked through the Waterfront Alliance’s presentation to the City Council earlier this year just now and was surprised to see how many of their proposed sites were “challenged” by taking longer than the subway to Midtown or Lower Manhattan.
Anyone remember Hallets Point, and ferries? In order to get the Condo Development approved, the City Council agreed to do a “Feasibility Study” on it. In other words, it is not happening.
Nearly any successful ferry needs a connective ground transport network. Otherwise the ferry can serve only the immediate vicinity of its docks (ports?). For Manhattan in particular, the next question that is then begged is what type of ground transport? True BRT? Well the folks who live on 34 St took care to see that won’t happen, so what’s next, the 49-50 St corridors dedicated to connecting ferries, and heaven forbid, system integration?
Imagine the bus, the lowly bus, integrating the ferry, subway and then the ferry at the other river?! My word, someone farther uptown from PATH could conceivably travel across (east-west) NJ to Brooklyn-Queens and even beyond!
I had some family in town visiting yesterday and for the first time ever I took the ferry from LIC all the way to Pier 11. It was cool because they got to see the city from a totally different perspective but practical it was not. I could just have easily taken the 7 to the 4/5 and beaten the boat for a fraction of the cost (unlimited card).
A lot of people got on at Dumbo but it was mostly tourists. It seems to be more of an attraction than practical mode of transport. The reasons for this are numerous and have been hashed out in the comments above.
I will say though it beats the crap out of the train in terms of experience and amenities. Nice water views, a breeze, seating. Traveling in style.
Well, I love the ferries in NYC. But that’s because I don’t live there and usually just travel there on business. A ferry ride is a delightful way to clear your head when you’ve got a couple hours of downtime.
But that doesn’t mean they’re terribly practical as transit.
More LIRR service to Long Island City and easier access from the station to the East River Ferry could be a good way to increase ridership and demand along the that particular route. It could also be a good temporary bridge in capacity as you can send people heading to the E 34th St or Wall Street areas to the ferries and away from the crowded trains to Penn Station.
Patrick, moving forward, there will be greater LIRR Service to LIC, once East Side Access (ESA), comes in, then its one stop on the (6) to East 34th Street, and as far as Wall Street from the LIRR is concerned, right now, just go to the Barclays Center Stop and take the Subway from there. Basically that is not needed.
Mr. Brown, I know that once ESA opens there will be more service to those areas, however, ESA is still a pretty long way away…something like this could fill in some extra capacity as soon as next month…many trains continue to LIC pas Jamaica anways, so it would just be doctoring the schedules to include the expanded service.
Patrick the Station you refer to is Hunterspoint Ave (which is a Rush Hour Train only (WEST Bound AM, EAST Bound PM)). In the mornings heading to 34th (East Side), instead of a ferry, I can simply take the (7) FIVE minutes to Grand Central and transfer after one stop to the (6) to 33rd St. If there was a ferry, I would have to pay an extra charge (for the boat), have a slower trip than the (7) AND freeze in Winter. If you need to be at work, that is not a good option (nor is it if you do a Reverse Commute). Speaking of Reverse Commutes, I became a Master of the Reverse Commute, and learned the optimal commute to where I needed to be on Long Island, was Penn to Carle in the AM, and Mineola to Barclays in the PM. In theory the boat works, but in actuality it is awful.
Ferries definitely work better in a city like Boston where the jobs are closer to the waterfront and the outbound ferry destinations are further from other transit.
The geography of New York is such that anywhere that a ferry makes sense logistically and demographically is already not only close to a subway STOP but is also a relatively short ride once you get there.
The only real justification would be overcrowding on the subway, if the L train for instance could no longer accommodate its ridership (and it’s certainly getting close!). But then there is no need for such as steep subsidy. For those that want a shorter walk to their transit from their waterfront home and that don’t want to be sardined… well they are the ones most likely to be willing to pay more.
For ferries to work, they need to:
1. on one side, be where people can/want to get them and don’t mind returning to them
– and –
2. on the other side, be near where somewhere someone wants to go (jobs being the 800lbs gorilla)
– or –
3. must be a useful leg on a multi-modal trip
I see little evidence of this happening anywhere in NYC. #3 kind of happens with Staten Island by necessity. With the right kind of feeder system, maybe I can see Brooklyn-Lower Manhattan Ferry service working, since jobs are within a few blocks of the waterfront.
One issue not explored so far is Ferrys from suburban communities to say Wall Street. Several towns along the Hudson have facilities for ferries as NY Waterway already opperates service between Havastraw & Ossining as well as seasonal service to Tarrytown for tourests. in adition, there’s infrastructure in place near Rye Playland & other LI sound communities that can support ferry service.
Taking advantage of the multable shoreline areas to build redundent transit services is a good longterm stratigy even if it comes with high upfront costs & moddist ridership initially.
I remember, a long time ago, visiting Hamburg, and was surprised to see ferries integrated into the metropolitan transit system. The docks were right next to subway (U-Bahn) or train (S-Bahn) stations. The boats had huge magnets and the docks had metal plates so there was no need to tie up to the dock, just bring the ferry right up to the dock and clang! you’re docked. To leave, they’d just run the boat forward or back until the magnets slid off the plates. It was a lot like getting on/off a subway train, except it was on the water.
They ran with the same frequencies as busses, and although you could buy the complete system timetable (the size of the Manhattan telephone book!) and plan your trip, most people just showed up on the dock and got on when the boat came.
Of course, in German metropolitan transportation districts, the left hand will actually talk to the right hand. And they somehow manage to have capital plans that actually last past the next election.
Hamburg is perhaps the most nautical city on Earth, too. Take a good look at how much of Hamburg’s built environment abuts the water.
It’s a cool system, but it’s a poor fit for New York.
2 points to note:
1. Historically, the waterways were also very important for moving freight, perhaps even more so than for people.
2. What abt [vehicle] ferries for inter-region traffic – from say Freeport to NJ. Drivers between LI and the south and west would avoid Bkln and SI. And of course, the city would be rid of that thru traffic.
There are cross L.I. Sound ferries now. They are very slow. Ferries are very inefficient for moving vehicles relative to a fixed crossing.
Ferries have very high capacity, but yeah, they go at bicycle speed.
Sign me up for a ferry to Boston and DC
I lived in Sydney Australia for a while and they had an extensive ferry network in the harbor. I never used it except for weekend travel. The ferry was fairly well integrated into the city and the monthly pass worked on the ferry as well as subway. From what I remember, the subway in downtown Sydney was walking distance to the Ferry. At the many other locations, you were dropped off close to restaurants, parks, houses, etc. One of the problems with New York and harbor is all the barriers. There seem to be highways, industrial sites or railroads between most parts of New York City and the harbor or rivers. It is usually a long walk from the subway to the harbor and most times really dreary. New York City has the best views in the world. Any policy that would make the harbors and rivers more appealing and accessible would be useful.
Sydney’s urban rail system has a station a dozen or so meters from the ferry terminal. It’s a very nice system that way.
There are successful ferry systems on Puget Sound (considered part of the state highway system) and on San Francisco Bay (GGT, WETA, etc.). Puget Sound’s ferries work in part due to the east-west barrier formed by the sound’s deep waters (over a hundred fathoms along the main channel).
S.F.’s work partly due to awkward road links at the outer ends and partly due to the jumbo transit node formed by the Ferry Building and the Embarcadero Stn. (BART and SFMuni’s Metro) just to its west. There are also extensive surface lines nearby (buses, historic streetcars, and a cable car line). Also noteworthy :
1) AT+T Park, a baseball stadium, abuts McCovey Cove (aka China Basin) and has ferry service to its dock on game days;
2) WETA, the Water Emergency Trans. Auth., was set up to provide a fallback when other links fail (e.g. Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 and the Bay Bridge);
3) WETA’s San Francisco Bay Ferry offers heavily subsidized service to South San Francisco with the dock in a transit gap that’s covered by shuttle buses under Commute.org rather than SamTrans.
Puget Sound – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W.....te_Ferries
S.F. Bay – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F.....ncisco_Bay
Small edit :
s/east-west barrier/east-west travel barrier/