Run A Ferry From Coney Island, Or Prevent Flooding? Neighbors Are Torn
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Some neighbors on Coney Island would like to see a ferry connecting the Brooklyn peninsula to Manhattan, but a plan by the city could ensure that it never happens.
A group of boat enthusiasts ran a test run for a ferry between the pier, at Neptune Avenue and West 21st Street, and Battery Park this past Monday, according to a Brooklyn Paper report.
Run A Ferry From Coney Island, Or Prevent Flooding? Neighbors Are Torn
The test run was organized by Coney Island Creek Ferry and Landing, a group that formed recently to urge the city to turn the dilapidated pier into a docking point for water transportation, the newspaper reported. The group points out that a trip between Lower Manhattan and Coney Island would only take 29 minutes by water, compared with at least an hour by train, the newspaper reported.
But the ferry requires the use of Coney Island Creek – a tributary that soon may no longer exist if the Bloomberg administration gets its way.
As 1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg reported, Manik and Joe are next-door neighbors who, sadly, do not see eye-to-eye. On Neptune Avenue, both of them were swamped by Sandy, and 4 1/2 feet of water filled their homes.
But Manik said he would rather risk future flooding and be able to walk right across the street, hop on a ferry, and get to Lower Manhattan in under half an hour.
"It's great. It's fantastic. It will be a blessing from God," he said.
The city wants to dam Coney Island creek, drain it of water, create a marshland, and protect all of Coney Island from floods. Joe would much rather have that – and prevent flooding – than have the convenience of a ferry.
"Fill her up," said Joe. "Ferry? For what?"
The city previously considered launching ferry service to Coney Island that would have docked at the fishing pier in Kaiser Park, the newspaper reported. But the city decided against the plan – reasoning that the pier was too far away from the Coney Island amusement district, the paper reported.
Backers of the West 21st Street pier have pointed out that it is a 10-minute walk from such landmarks as MCU Park and the Parachute Jump, the paper reported.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories
