Rockaway ferry may aid 5T

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A variety of mass transit alternatives were taking shape this week, as Long Island braced for a possible shutdown of the Long Island Rail Road on Sunday.

“The city will be a mess,” said Zach Grunther, a volunteer firefighter with the Point Lookout-Lido Beach Fire Department. “I take the train five days a week. If the MTA goes on strike, it will make it much harder to get to work. I can’t afford to miss any days from work and it’s kind of impossible to drive into Queens everyday to take the subway. Thousands of people will be driving to Queens and there will be no parking.”

Rockaway activist Joe Hartigan suggested a somewhat exotic alterative. He is encouraging residents from the Five Towns and nearby communities to take advantage of the Seastreak ferry service in Rockaway, which takes approximately 50 minutes to lower Manhattan.

“This is the most convenient route to lower Manhattan,” said Hartigan, a retired FDNY lieutenant who has advocated for the ferry service for more than a decade. “This is the best kept secret.”

The Seastreak ferry, which departs from Beach 108th Street and Beach Channel Drive, was launched in 2012 as a partnership between the New York City Economic Development Corporation in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. It initially provided temporary ferry service between the Rockaways and Manhattan, while subway service on that route was suspended due to Hurricane Sandy.

One of the daf yomi shiurim normally held on two LIRR trains out of Far Rockaway might relocate to one of the Seastreak runs, The Jewish Star has learned.

“I think we would be instantly very, very busy — probably at capacity level,” Seastreak President Jim Barker said of a possible strike. “And it would be up to EDC whether they would like to bring more vessels on the run, or someone else, like the MTA. There has been no talk about that just yet, but there has been some discussion internally about other ports that could be used, such as Glen Cove. At the end of the day, these things can ultimately be settled, but in any case, we would be available to help people get to work.”

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