A month ago The Times wrote a piece about the precarious future of New York Water Taxi and the implications for Brooklynites who’d put down roots on the waterfront based on assurances from the city that the ferry service would always be there. Yesterday, The Brooklyn Paper wrote a pretty darn similar article, but with some different characters. The people most screwed by a the end of water taxi service would most certainly be those who live at Schaeffer Landing in South Williamsburg (“The ferry gets me to work in the same amount of time it would take me to walk to the train,” one Schaefer dweller told Brooklyn Paper). Residents of Northside Piers or The Edge, with their proximity to the L train, would be less affected. It’s hard to know how close to closing the ferry service is and how much these articles are just PR ammo in Tom Fox’s negotiation with the city, but one thing’s for sure: It would be a real blow to Brooklyn’s burgeoning waterfront if the city let the operation die. Remember: It’s the one form of mass transit that currently is unsubsidized by taxpayers.
This Whole Situation is Ferry Confusing [Brooklyn Paper]
East River Ferry Service in Jeopardy—Again [Brownstoner]
Photo by pattytimtom