By Bill Parry
After completing an environmental review, the city announced that Long Island City’s second ferry landing will be located along the promenade of Gantry Plaza State Park about a hundred feet south of Anable Basin.
The LIC North ferry landing will begin operating next summer with Citywide Ferry Service for more than 4,000 riders a day, making it the highest projected ridership outside of Manhattan, city Economic Development Corporation President Maria Torres-Springer announced Monday.
“While we know New York City has the best mass transit system in the country, the century-old system is really running up against its limits,” she said. “The waterfront is growing quickly in neighborhoods that have been transit starved.”
Long Island City has several bus lines but relies mainly on the No. 7 subway line, which operates at capacity, especially for straphangers traveling to Manhattan during the morning rush. Trains are packed by the time they get to LIC.
“Just look how crowded the Vernon-Jackson station is, it’s already beyond capacity,” state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) said. “People have to wait on stairs to get on the platform to eventually get on the train. One needs only look around to see a new building going up every day and with it another thousand residents and there’s going to be more development on the north side of Anable Basin as well. We look forward to continuing even more great ways for people to get around rather than wait for the 7 train to show up, which is an adventure for anyone who is trying to do it.”
City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside), who has railed against the No. 7 for years, agreed.
This is one of the fastest growing communities in all of New York City, and one of the most desirable communities to live in, and so therefore there are certain pressures that get placed on transportation infrastructure,” he said. “Getting to and from Manhattan and other parts of the city become increasingly important, and the 7 train simply can’t handle everyone. And few rides are as pleasant as a ferry ride along the East River.”
Not everyone was pleased with the location. Rob Basch, the president of the Hunters Point Parks Conservancy is worried about increased foot traffic tramplingthrough the gardens. “And we’re concerned with the horn blaring,” he said. “If the ferries have to back out of the landing, the law requires four blast’s of the ships’s horn. That would be quite a lot every half hour.”
One state lawmaker was concerned about the environmental impact on the park. State Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan (D-Ridgewood) fired off a letter to Torres-Springer last October saying the location “is not the best use of “ scarce public green space.
“After having some concerns and reservations about placing a second ferry stop, I believe that with the cooperation of both city and state agencies we can continue to expand ferry operations while preserving both park land and green space for the communities,” Nolan said. “I will continue to monitor this situation to ensure Gantry Plaza State Park is not negatively impacted this arrangement.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
