Coney Island has finally gotten on board!
Earlier today, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the NYC Ferry system will expand in the southern Brooklyn community to include service on a new Coney Island – Bay Ridge – Manhattan route tentatively scheduled to begin in 2021.
The news comes amid City Councilman Mark Treyger’s (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst) multi-year community push for a ferry stop in the transit starved Coney Island neighborhood that already faces limited transit options and relies heavily on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) bus system for daily travel.
“Ferry service finally coming to Coney Island is another great victory for our community. From day one, I made public transportation improvements a top priority, and the expansion of the NYC Ferry system to Coney Island is a major step forward for southern Brooklyn’s students, working families, seniors, and the millions from across New York City and beyond who visit the iconic People’s Playground and Riegelmann Boardwalk every year,” said Treyger.
Most recently, Treyger organized an August 2017 rally on the steps of City Hall, joined by Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, East New York, Canarsie, Mill Basin, Coney Island, parts of Queens) and community leaders calling for the City to expand the service and help meet the needs of Coney Island.
Coney Island’s primary subway station is located at the intersection of Surf and Stillwell Avenues, a 20-30 minute bus ride for residents who live in the western half of Coney Island.
Bus rides to the subway are even longer each summer, when millions of tourists and frequently heavy vehicle traffic flood the community’s iconic, popular amusement district.
The new service hopes to cut down on commuter times and ease congestion during the Summer months.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams applauded the announcement.
“The expansion of NYC Ferry service to Coney Island is a milestone achievement, a common-sense solution that affirms our years of advocacy on behalf of transit-starved residents on the West End and small businesses that depend on tourist activity,” said Adams.
Adams went on to note the need to expand similar service to Canarsie, another South Brooklyn neighborhood vying for increased transit options.
“Additionally, my pursuits of ferry service to Canarsie — a community in true need of transit equity — as well as a ferry connection between Brooklyn and Staten Island are as strong as ever,” added Adams.
Assemblywoman Mathylde Frontus (D-Coney Island, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights) applauded de Blasio for bringing ferry service to the community.
“Residents and local civic organizations have been asking for ferry service for quite some time, and today’s announcement from City Hall comes as welcome news to those who live and work on the peninsula. I am excited to see the project get underway and know that it will benefit Southern Brooklyn for years to come,” said Frontus.
The Coney Island dock would become the NYC Ferry’s 21st dock, and the ninth located in Brooklyn.
