We will seek to expand service and improve integration with the city's existing mass transit system
Along Newtown Creek, which separates Brooklyn and Queens, the transformation of New York's waterfront is clear. To the north, apartment buildings are rising and land is being cleared for thousands of additional units of housing at Queens West, many of which will be affordable to middle-income families. To the south sit the low-lying factories and warehouses of Williamsburg and Greenpoint, which are being converted into a waterfront esplanade, parks, and housing.

Across the city, more than 60 miles of largely-abandoned waterfront land is being reclaimed for recreation and new communities. But some of these neighborhoods lack the basic transportation infrastructure required for sustainable growth. In some areas, the nearest subway stop is more than three-quarters of a mile away. Where there is service, the trains and buses are increasingly crowded as growing numbers of commuters use stations closest to Manhattan.

Ferries and water taxis can help solve both of these problems. In addition, ferries have proven that they can provide critical backup transportation for the city during emergencies, as they did on 9/11 and during the 2003 blackout.

That's why we will seek to expand ferry service to emerging neighborhoods across the city and seamlessly integrate it into the city's transportation network.

The City will seek to initiate a new privately-operated ferry system along the East River that will connect developing areas of Brooklyn and Queens with Midtown and Lower Manhattan. This new service would connect ferry landings at Queens West, Greenpoint and North and South Williamsburg, with landings at Pier 11 (Wall Street) and East 34th Street in Manhattan. In addition, we will seek to pilot service between Manhattan and the Rockaways in Queens. Other parts of the city where ferry service may make sense-such as southern Queens, the south shore of Staten Island, and the Bronx-will be evaluated based on potential ridership and financial flexibility.

Ferry service is most effective when it connects riders with land-based transit bringing them close to their inland destinations. That is why we will work with the MTA to extend bus routes to ferry docks from Midtown. We will also explore the possibility of using BRT or other fast service on crosstown routes for more efficient connections, especially across 34th Street and 42nd Street.

Finally, for ferries to be considered an effective component of the city's mass transit system, they must be treated that way. That is why ferry passengers must be able to use their MetroCards for ferries and the connecting bus service. We will work with the MTA and the ferry companies to achievethis intergration.

Progress (as of 4/22/08):
In May 2007, the Mayor announced that the City was exploring a pilot program to provide year round service from the Rockaways to Manhattan. Shortly after, NYCEDC issued RFPs for additional ferry service around the city and selected NY Water Taxi as the Rockaways operator in March 2008. Since then, NYCEDC and DOT continue to advance plans for ferry services between Manhattan and Rockaway and between Manhattan and the Brooklyn and Queens East River waterfront. The first of two new ferry landing barges opened for service at the East 34th Street facility in July 2007 with the second barge opening in March 2008 and construction continuing on the planned landing at Slip 5 of the Battery Maritime Building. In June 2007, the reconstructed East 90th Street Ferry Landing also opened for service. In Spring 2008, a pilot ferry service to the Rockaways is expected to begin service.