Coney Island, for all its charm, has always been a bit of a tough sell for out-of-town tourists. The beach’s old-school aesthetic is a far cry from antiseptic Manhattan, for one thing, and getting there requires a long ride to the end of D, F, N, or Q. Recent development projects like the new Luna Park are gradually glossing up the place, however, and now, one group would like to make transit easier as well, by asking the city to run a ferry service from Coney to Lower Manhattan.
The group, creatively dubbed “Small Business Coalition,” believes regularly boat service from Manhattan would be an economic boon for Coney, despite the fact that a 2012 New York City Economic Development Corporation study clearly showed it would be a money-losing operation.
“Even if it loses some money, I think that cost is outweighed by the benefit to the small businesses,” Louis Jerome, the founder of the pro-ferry group, told the Brooklyn Paper. “It’s cheaper than building a new subway line.”
(Photo: Charles Kyriazos/Flickr)
