Nov 14 2007
A gust of support
The Riverdale Ferry Coalition, a group pushing to add a ferry stop on the Hudson River for Riverdale commuters, snagged a key endorsement last week when City Council Speaker Christine Quinn gave her approval.
Ms. Quinn, who earlier in the month joined the chorus of politicians denouncing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s fare hike proposal, applauded the transportation alternative.
“Riverdale is ripe for a highspeed ferry,” said Ms. Quinn.
“Using our waterways, we can very quickly create a fast, efficient and environmentally friendly way to improve the daily commute for residents of Riverdale, reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions.”
Led by Ari Hoffnung, president of the Riverdale Jewish Community Council and former Community Board 8 member, the coalition hopes to make Riverdale a stop on the New York Water Taxi’s Hudson River line. Right now, water taxis pick up commuters in Haverstraw, N.Y., in Rockland County, and in Yonkers, and shuttles them down to lower Manhattan.
Mr. Hoffnung said the cost to build a new dock in Riverdale would be nominal, and the ferry would save Riverdale commuters time. On average, a trip from Yonkers to lower Manhattan on the ferry takes between 35 and 47 minutes.
The plan has already received the support of City Councilman Oliver Koppell, Congressman Eliot Engel and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.
Needless to say, Mr. Hoffnung and his fellow coalition members are happy to have Ms. Quinn in their corner.
“Speaker Quinn has a strong track record of cutting through red tape and making things happen quickly for New Yorkers,” said Mr. Hoffnung. “In supporting the ferry service, the speaker has once again proven to be a forward-looking leader who is deeply concerned about the long-term environmental and economic impacts of congestion. We look forward to working closely with the speaker and city agencies to help make the vision of a ferry service a reality.”
WordPress database error: [Table './riverdaleferry/wp_comments' is marked as crashed and should be repaired]
SELECT * FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_post_ID = '28' AND comment_approved = '1' ORDER BY comment_date
Posts
