PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Robert Cornegy, Former Council Member of NYC City Council, on NYC Ferry Service and Coney Island Ferry Stop
2:14:01
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148 sec
Robert Cornegy, a former NYC Council Member, testifies in support of expanding NYC Ferry service to Coney Island. He highlights the growing popularity of the ferry system, its accessibility, and the potential benefits of adding a Coney Island stop.
- NYC Ferry ridership has increased by 8% in the past five years, surpassing pre-pandemic levels
- A ferry stop in Coney Island could serve a significant population and reduce commuting time to Manhattan by 15-25 minutes compared to the subway
- Cornegy emphasizes that despite decades of intention, no one has been able to implement a Coney Island ferry stop
Robert Cornegy
2:14:01
Good afternoon.
2:14:02
I just wanna start by saying it's not wasted on me.
2:14:05
The amount of work and thought for the liberation that was necessary to put this hearing together, I wanna thank the co chairs for allowing me to testify today, and it is good to be back home on this side of the table.
2:14:18
So I just, you know, obviously, I wanna echo the sentiments of of my colleague who was front and center during this period, but I do wanna add that it's undeniable that New York City ferry is a popular form of transportation across the New York City year round, and the popularity of this former transportation shows no signs of slowing down.
2:14:38
Just in the 4 in the first quarter of 2024, the coldest time of the year, New York ferry New York ferry ridership hit a record high.
2:14:46
With just over 1,000,000 riders.
2:14:48
This number increases dramatically in the summer.
2:14:51
Just July 24 alone brought New York City Ferry ridership up to 1.7229.
2:14:58
In the past five idea is New York City ferry leadership has increased by 8% and has surpassed pre pandemic levels, whereas subway ridership is still at only 67% of pre pandemic levels.
2:15:12
This continued growing popularity is no surprise.
2:15:15
Given that fairies have become more accessible to New York City residents providing routes between burrows at the same cost as the subway and providing an arguably more enjoyable ride than subways and buses.
2:15:26
And yet despite being on the way to the Rockaway stop Kony Island, one of the most overlooked communities in New York City gets passed by.
2:15:35
A very stopping Kony Island just makes sense.
2:15:37
This is an area that becomes heavily populated in the summer, and additional form of public transportation would benefit visitors and residents alike.
2:15:45
Based on a ferry feasibility study conducted by EDC, it was concluded that a ferry stopped in Konyala would both serve a significant rotation population and reduce commuting time.
2:15:55
A ferry route connecting Tony Allen to Lower Manhattan would carry an additional ridership of approximately 400,000 riders.
2:16:02
By ferry, travel time to Manhattan, would be between 25 to 35 minutes.
2:16:07
By subway, the transit time is closer to 50 minutes to an hour.
2:16:11
While the city has stated its intention to have a cornea on a ferry for decades, no one has been able to make it happen.
2:16:16
It's our hope that this legislation will bring back to Kony Allen, the ferry stop that needs and it deserves.
2:16:23
I just wanna mention also that there was a time in this city's history where the only way you could get to Kony Allen was by ferry.