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Petition Seeks To Extend Rockaway Ferry Service Through Summer Weekends
By
Lauren Evans
Published Mar 26, 2014
Modified Mar 26, 2014
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By
Lauren Evans
Published Mar 26, 2014
Modified Mar 26, 2014
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A trip to the Rockaways might seem like an impossible, wistful dream, but eternal winter will someday end and when it does, no one is going to want to waste a minute of precious sun-burning time sweltering on the A train or mewing uselessly on the side of Flatbush Avenue as they try to reach the ocean. Which is why a petition is currently in circulation to extend Rockaway ferry service to the weekend!
True, there is already one ferry available to shuttle beach-goers to the waves, but it's $20 each way, which is, of course, $40 you won't have to spend on Rockaway Taco. (This is hyperbole—Rockaway Tacos are $3 each, and ingesting 13 tacos is really the type of activity better suited for Coney Island.)
The Seastreak operated ferry, on the other hand, costs only $3.50 each way, which is why the Belle Harbor Property Owners Association has launched a petition to keep it cruising on weekends between May 31 and September 7. From the petition, which has currently garnered over 1,300 signatures:
These 15 weekends of high speed ferry service in the summer will generate revenue in Manhattan as well as in the Rockaways and add to our menu of items available to tourists visiting our great city. An AFFORDABLE weekend ferry service in the city will promote tourism in Rockaway. A possible theme could be “A Day at the Beach in the world’s greatest city!” Our Rockaway beaches, fine restaurants and parks would be highlighted.
Around 350 passengers use the ferry on the average weekday, saving roughly an hour of commuting time between Manhattan and Queens. Initially set to expire on January 31, the ferry has been extended multiple times in the past thanks to its popularity. [h/t Brokleyn, Bedford+Bowery]
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