To the Editor:
I am a proponent of public transportation. I have spent my career designing, building, and rehabilitating public transportation systems. My opinion is that Bayonne does not need the proposed new commuter ferry service.
In the late 1970s Bayonne had a commuter ferry service from Brady’s Dock to Pier 11 in Manhattan. It went out of business in the early 1980s. I think the proposed new commuter ferry service will follow in its predecessor’s footsteps. Commuters want a “one seat” ride to and from work. In the 1970s they got this with the bus services provided on the Boulevard and Ave. C. The ferry was inconvenient and costly. Commuters naturally chose the buses. The light rail adds a commuter transit system to the existing bus routes. The proposed new commuter ferry service has to compete with this additional system and the buses. I think the proposed new commuter ferry service will fail.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – Santayana
CARL R. HOETZL, PE, PP
