Gowanus By Water Taxi

Maybe he didnt know? He's not Marty Markowitz.

Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 11:34 AM

After taking the Ikea Water Taxi to Manhattan, i think there might be something useful that could be gained by this....
Require Gowanus developers and (big box) retailers to share the cost (and expand the service) of running the water taxi into Park Slope/Cobble Hill/Boreum Hill/Carrol Gardens Gowanus via the canal.
Think about it - if Lowes, Toll Brothers, Whole Foods and a couple of the new hotel operators like Le Blue setup 2 docks on the canal and maintained a set schedule (as the Ikea Water Taxi now has) - so many potential community complaints would be thwarted (not that people wont complain - just that they'd have less credibility).
If you could have 25 min free commute/trip to lower Manhattan, not to mention a historic and beautiful ride I believe it would be very successful, prove the viability of water taxi routes (so that one day they might even be able to charge for it) and give "green" bonefides to the businesses/developers and make Gowanus more of a destination for tourists and NYers alike.

The Ikea Water taxi and subway shuttle is a brilliant PR move (once you take it for FREE - you bound to have a MUCH more favorable opinion of Ikea and its addition to the community) and while I am sure it is expensive to run the good will I am sure will pay huge dividends - not to mention that I think if they keep it reliable (which NY Water Taxi has never been able to do) I think ridership will grow and demonstrate that water commuting is a viable alternative for Brooklyn.

Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 11:40 AM

Gowanus jellyfish = used condom

Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 12:38 PM

I believe if you had a 'pickup" at/near 3rd Ave and 3rd St as well as near the Lowes - there is only one bridge that is a factor (9th St) and if the bridge can be raised to accommodate sightseeing trips - it really shouldn't be so hard to accommodate commuters

BTW I am not saying that it is 'likely' - but rather it is a IMHO a way to open up more transportation alternatives and make an undeserved are a more accessible and given how much interest there is by developers and retailers in Gowanus - it should be possible to make them pay for it (and for which I think they will reap enormous benefit)

Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 1:29 PM

i'n not really sure how this is "green", 11:40, since water taxis do pollute (powered by organic pixie dust?).

Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 1:35 PM

Every means of transportation pollutes (you emit CO2 when walking as well) but a 75 passenger ferry is alot more 'green' then driving 75 cars into manhattan.

Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 1:48 PM

Nokilissa - I took the Ferry on opening day from Wall St - Red Hook then took the Ikea shuttle to Park Slope - it was great - it took me about 1hr (door to door) vs. 40min (door to door) by subway but of course it was free and the sights are insane!
It was so good that I took it home the rest of the week and will continue to do so whenever possible.

The key to it is "a schedule" - for years I have tried to make use of the NY Water Taxi (used to live near Dumbo) but it never worked b/c the schedule was so infrequent, never followed and canceled without notice) but since Ikea is paying - so far - NY Watertaxi is reliable to the printed times (critical for commuting).

My observations on Ikea et al - the traffic wasnt bad (I could see by way of the bus as well as a trip to Fairway by car on Sat), Ikea also has a billion people working to move traffic and get people into parking spots quickly. I do not know if they are going to keep this many people at this but so far I was impressed, much more organized, coordinated and friendly then your typical Brooklyn operation.

The park they built is very nice (especially if you arrive by boat), although frankly given where it is (at the end of RH) I think they would be doing everyone (and themselves) a favor if they offered a Snack Bar or something at the Pier - Its a long way for most people to drive/boat/bus to, to simply sit and look at the water. Also some events should be planned to expose people to the park.

My overall impression is that this will be a big plus for Red Hook and many of the concerns while valid are way overblown and if Ikea lives up to its commitments and the bar they have set - people will generally be happy.

Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 2:02 PM

1:53= biff

Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 2:14 PM

I really want to be enthused about the Gowanus, but yesterday after the big rain, I was crossing over the Carroll Street bridge. I looked down and saw an entire school of "Coney Island whitefish." Bummer.

Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 3:58 PM

Dare you google?

I did.

Pretty much what you would expect.

Ick.

Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 5:39 PM

I live at the other end of Van Brunt, Nokilissa, and was dreading the opening of ikea. Have to say i haven't really noticed anything (certainly no worse than when one of the ships pulls in/leaves). Have not ventured down to Beard on a weekend, though....

Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 7:10 PM

Absolutely one of the most naive, gee whiz suggestions regarding transportation "options". And to top it off you end up two blocks from the Subway in either direction, dead center between two important lines of Fourth Ave and Smith St. I thought these posts were an attempt at humor but after I saw the response trail I saw that you were actually serious. Jeesh.

Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 7:31 PM

Here's an idea for a "green" transportation option for the Gowanus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Trireme.jpg

Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 7:46 PM

Maybe it is ridiculously naive or maybe it is brilliant - but simply posting your obnoxious conclusion with no facts, position, or theory - your post is by definition that much dumber.

Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 8:03 PM