"New York City has a long history of using its waterways, and while neglected in recent decades, we applaud City Council President Christine Quinn's call to action yesterday. In her State of the City speech, she recognized the need for a more sustainable ferry system as a component of the region's mass transit system to address congestion and transportation equity issues.
The National Parks Conservation Association supports her vision for an enhanced ferry service to create better access to the numerous national parks and other great sites around the city's harbor, as well as keeping the cost of such access at levels that all New Yorkers and visitors can afford.
We strongly endorse a ferry service that will connect the Bronx, Upper Manhattan, Lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn with Governors Island and Gateway National Recreation Area, as well as the great array of other national, state and city parks along the shorefront. Such a ferry service ought to be designed to move commuters on weekdays, while serving park visitors on weekends and in the summer.
We hope that under Speaker Quinn's leadership, both Congressman Weiner's and Mayor Bloomberg's plans can be brought together in a coordinated manner to best serve the residents of the region.
Our national, state, and city parks are great treasures that ought to be easily accessible to all, and by providing a decent ferry service, New York City will unlock these parks' potential as a great resource for all residents and visitors, as well as their ability to be an major economic contributor to the region.
New Yorkers need and deserve a great harbor, one that will be both economically supportive as well as one in which all may swim and fish. We applaud Speaker Quinn for her vision."
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