PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Tyler Taba, Director of Resilience at Waterfront Alliance, on NYC Ferry System
2:19:00
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140 sec
Tyler Taba, Director of Resilience at Waterfront Alliance, testified in support of the NYC Ferry system, focusing on their "5 E's" for success: expansion, economics, electrification, emergency services, and equity. He emphasized the need for ferry expansion across the Five Boroughs and defended the ferry's subsidies as comparable to other ferry services nationwide.
- Supported Intro 321, 864, and Resolution 400 on the legislative calendar
- Proposed new routes to serve transit deserts, including Brooklyn to Staten Island, City Island, and LaGuardia Airport
- Argued that comparing ferry subsidies to bus or train subsidies is misleading, suggesting comparisons to other ferry services instead
Tyler Taba
2:19:00
Thank you.
2:19:01
Good afternoon.
2:19:02
Thank you for co chairs for hosting this hearing and for the opportunity to testify.
2:19:06
My name is Tyler I'm the director of resilience at the Waterfront Alliance.
2:19:09
Before the reestablishment of the New York City ferry in 2017, Waterfront Alliance wrote the plan and guide for how to bring back the 5 Burrow ferry system, and we are a major supporter of the New York City ferry and continue to encourage city to envision the ferry as part of its climate, its transportation, and its economic development goals.
2:19:25
Our long testimony today is focused on what waterfront alliance considers the key keys to success for the New York City ferry, which we refer to as the 5 e's, expansion, economics, electrification, emergency services, and equity.
2:19:38
We also support intro 321, 864, and Resolution 400 on the legislative calendar.
2:19:43
Our testimony indicates our strong support for ferry expansion across the Five boroughs in including the sites under legislative consideration as well as areas without active legislation.
2:19:52
Starting with expansion, we envision several new routes that would serve New Yorkers with newer, greener, and faster.
2:19:58
Transit options that would reshape transportation in the region.
2:20:01
Farleys often provide an opportunity to reach neighborhoods in transit deserts, and many of the new ferry landings have reached host communities facing this this challenge.
2:20:11
The successful ex expansion projects serve as indications of success at New York we should capitalize on, and and Waterfront Alliance again supports widespread expansion with priority to the following sites, Brooklyn to Staten Island via the Bay Ridge Line, City Island via the Sound View Line, and LaGuardia via the Sound View Line, and the Connection at East 90th Street.
2:20:28
We also consider other expansions that are listed in the testimony.
2:20:32
There's more information about all of those for the council to review.
2:20:36
Next, we talk about subsidies and how they provide and how these subsidies for the fairies provide value for people.
2:20:41
We actually feel that the New York City ferry is often under unfair criticism of the subsidy that comes with its operation.
2:20:47
The ferry last year served 7,000,000 New Yorkers, and we actually feel that comparing the ferry subsidies to a bus or train subsidy is misleading and misguided.
2:20:57
Instead, we should actually look at other ferry services across the country.
2:21:00
And if you compare the New York City ferry to its ferry services in Seattle, Boston, New Orleans, and San Francisco, the NYC ferry's operation expenses per revenue hour.
2:21:08
I actually much lower.
2:21:09
So we go on in our testimony to talk about electrification of the ferry.
2:21:13
The ferry is providing emergency services and transportation in the event of extreme weather and equity in all fours.
2:21:19
Yes.
2:21:19
Thank you so much.
Amanda FarÃas
2:21:20
Thank you so much.