REMARKS
Council member advocates for expanding ferry access to Red Hook students
1:27:59
·
146 sec
Council Member Avilés emphasizes the importance of expanding ferry access for students, particularly those from Red Hook. She congratulates the committee on recent legislation extending high school student discounts but highlights the ongoing financial burden for Red Hook students using the ferry for class trips.
- Advocates for including Harbor Middle School (177 students) in the ferry discount pilot program
- Emphasizes the potential for growing the ferry system by teaching students it's a viable transportation option
- Highlights the high costs of ferry use for class trips, especially for Title I schools
Alexa Avilés
1:27:59
Thank you, chairs.
1:28:00
Thank you, EDC team and DOT team for being here in all your work.
1:28:04
It's certainly there have been a lot of improvements, and I have seen, you know, on the ground here outreach efforts to community, and I know it's a long slog.
1:28:14
But I think you'll mention one thing really important, eyes to the system.
1:28:21
As a really important way of growing this system and certainly growing New Yorkers understanding that this system is there for them regardless.
1:28:30
And getting over this hump of, like, this is kind of the new thing for the rich people over there, and we just go to the subway.
1:28:38
One way to do that is through our students.
1:28:41
And so, you know, congrats certainly on on the chairs legislation and rolling out the high school program.
1:28:48
I think the thing I wanna flag for you and we've talked about this before is Redhook is transportation desert, you know, a home of homeport, a middle Harbor, middle school is there, and the school uses a fairy a lot, but it is a financial burden to take classes.
1:29:05
To use the fairy.
1:29:06
It costs them several $100 for a title 1 school.
1:29:11
We have to do better, and we can do better.
1:29:13
If we teach students that this is a real viable way, we grow that system tremendously.
1:29:20
So I just want to absolutely encourage our students have been advocating the Harvard Middle School in particular to be included in this pilot.
1:29:28
It's only 177 students.
1:29:32
They have been at this for 2 years to say, don't forget us.
1:29:36
So I have to remind you all that we cannot forget our Harper School students, certainly our Redhook community, which I know there's been a lot of work in.
1:29:44
So Putting the plug in for a finding way to include those 177 students sooner than later.
1:29:50
But the clash trip, the use of the ferry, is an important one.
1:29:55
We pay $30 or more to cross the Verintano Bridge.
1:30:01
There is there are resources there.
1:30:03
Our students should be able to clash trips, be able to use the ferry at not an exorbitant price.
1:30:11
It costs anywhere consuming the calculations, you know, 6 $5.8 to $6 per ticket additional per student.
1:30:21
That's a lot.
1:30:22
That's just transportation.
1:30:24
So I encourage that.