Lower Manhattan, Sept. 22, 2014 -
A rally was held tonight as residents of southern Queens invaded Lower Manhattan in an effort to remind people that if enough support isn’t generated
to save the ferry from the Rockaways to Manhattan, the service will end, making
the trip by subway or express bus a longer trip and much less enjoyable.
The mission statement of the Queens
Public Transit Committee is to improve all transportation options for Queens
and the Pier 11 in Manhattan to Rockaway Peninsula is no exception. With Mayor
deBlasio eliminating funding for the ferry link, residents of southern Queens
are furious and have taken to the streets. The Belle Harbor Property Owners
Association is also involved as they seek to protect and enhance the quality
of life in their community. The Ferry is the common thread that binds both
organizations.
Queens Public Transit Committee Chairman Phillip McManus has been fighting for keeping the ferry going but it’s been an uphill fight. To get the attention of Lower Manhattan, he’s organized a walking rally to let people know about it. He said, “We’ll arrive on the ferry at about 5:15 pm at Pier 11 and hold a press conference under the FDR near Wall Street. We will collect names and contact information to organize the passengers. We will also have speeches and a photo opportunity. We’re following up on a rally we had on the steps of City Hall a couple of months ago as part of a process to educate the public about the funding cutoff.”
Queens Public Transit Committee Chairman Phillip McManus has been fighting for keeping the ferry going but it’s been an uphill fight. To get the attention of Lower Manhattan, he’s organized a walking rally to let people know about it. He said, “We’ll arrive on the ferry at about 5:15 pm at Pier 11 and hold a press conference under the FDR near Wall Street. We will collect names and contact information to organize the passengers. We will also have speeches and a photo opportunity. We’re following up on a rally we had on the steps of City Hall a couple of months ago as part of a process to educate the public about the funding cutoff.”
The plan was to march through areas such
as Water Street and Stone Street which is where many people congregate so
they can get the word about the ferry service discontinuance.
Through their past efforts, they
accumulated an array of political figures dedicated to keeping the ferry going.
Among them is Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. She said in a letter to Mayor
deBlasio that, “…The Rockaway Ferry is a necessity for the Rockaway Peninsula
and vital to its resiliency plans. Since the inception of the Rockaway Ferry in
2012, residents have come to view it as a primary means of transportation into
Manhattan.”
New York State Assemblyman Philip
Goldfeder has been a long-time backer of improving transportation options in
southern Queens as healthier transportation options means greater economic
opportunity.
Support
for the ferry isn’t limited to Queens but to Brooklyn as well. City
Councilman Vincent Gentile recently said at the June 11 rally on the steps of
City Hall, “Other areas in the country would kill for a waterfront like we have
here in New York. I want to emphasize the stopover in Brooklyn on the way to the
Rockaways. One ride on the ferry and you’re hooked as opposed to riding the
subway. If people knew if they could get to Manhattan and back easily with a
ferry, they’d use it.”
The walking rally headed south to
the Staten Island Ferry, the Statue of Liberty Ferry and walk north on Broadway
to Wall Street and loop back to the ferry to Queens while giving out posters,
flyers and asking people to sign petitions.
Before hopping on to the 7:45 pm ferry
back to the Rockaways, Phil McManus showed optimism and said, “The Queens
Public Transit Committee supports faster transportation including the Queens
Rockaway Ferry. We refuse to be second class citizens in a
city where everyone else’s concerns seem to come first.”
