The city needs to expand NYC Ferry service around Jamaica Bay and Rockaway, an area served by only one ferry line and one subway line. This must change.
For the next four months starting Friday, A trains will not run between Howard Beach-JFK Airport and Far Rockaway-Mott Ave. as the MTA makes needed upgrades “to protect service from future storms” in the face of climate change-created threats. The accompanying Rockaway Park Shuttle train connection to Broad Channel will be out of service for the same period, frustrating riders with limited alternative acceptable transportation options.
As a Rockaway resident and someone who works every day to increase community and climate resilience in the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway area and connect people to the unparalleled experiences in nature that this area affords, I appreciate the trade-off of temporary service disruptions for long-term sustainability. However, we’re literally missing the boat on how to improve transit resilience for communities in southeastern Brooklyn and Queens while simultaneously dramatically increasing access to nature for millions of New Yorkers and visitors alike.
Besides the A train, there are no other subway lines directly serving neighborhoods adjacent to Jamaica Bay, which includes the sixth busiest airport in the country. The Rockaway peninsula’s 11 miles is nearly the length of Manhattan and has the third fastest growing population of all census districts in the city and a business growth rate of 55% from 2000 to 2021. Imagine having a single subway line serve every neighborhood and commercial district from the Battery to Inwood!
Luckily, the Jamaica Bay/Rockaway area is rich with opportunities for on-water transit through NYC Ferry. Significantly expanding ferry service is an excellent and much-needed way to activate our coastline and better serve impacted communities. Since 2017, NYC Ferry has brought millions of passengers to and from Rockaway, improving commute times and the overall transit experience (imagine taking a harbor cruise to work every day!) for New Yorkers with the dubious distinction of having the longest commute times of anywhere in the city.
Ferries offer the unique opportunity to efficiently and rapidly respond to circumstances impacting other forms of transit, serving as an important pressure release valve for commuters — and saving our roadways from increased traffic, a timely complement to congestion pricing. The city is already planning to increase the transportation of goods around the harbor and estuary with its Blue Highways plan. Adding commuters to our less-congested waterways is a logical step.
Since its launch, NYC Ferry has been embraced by New Yorkers as a critical transportation alternative. Year-on-year record ridership growth and continued interest in additional stops and services show that passengers are keen to use our 520 miles of coastline to its fullest potential.
Adding more ferry stops within Jamaica Bay and waterways around the estuary will serve all New Yorkers, particularly South Brooklyn and Queens residents, during this shutdown and far into the future.
From the downtown Manhattan Pier 11 Wall St. landing, NYC Ferry runs from Sunset Park to Rockaway, passing by opportunities to add landings at Coney Island, Sheepshead Bay, Floyd Bennett Field, Canarsie Pier, JFK Airport and Far Rockaway — and that’s just around Jamaica Bay. LaGuardia Airport, northern Manhattan, and further into the Bronx are areas across the city that, like Rockaway, offer waterfront access with limited other transit options.
It’s easy to imagine NYC Ferry extending their 96% on-time performance to these routes, gliding around traffic and train delays. Rockaway, Marine Park and Canarsie commuters could get to jobs in north Brooklyn and Manhattan more easily. Rush-hour wary travelers could opt to take a boat from Wall Street all the way to JFK Airport. Outdoor enthusiasts could enjoy New York’s greatest open spaces without an arduous journey or needing to drive a car. I’m a particular fan of the boat-to-bike opportunity to connect more people to the 28-mile Jamaica Bay Greenway.
NYC is a waterfront city with a storied maritime history, but today a small fraction of our transportation takes place via our waterways. This train line shutdown in Jamaica Bay and the Rockaways, which has 170 miles or a third of the city’s coastline but only one ferry landing, provides a major opportunity for change and critical planning for the future. We cannot let it wash out to sea.
Carta is the executive director of the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy.