Neighbors Press Goldman Sachs on Ferry Noise

New York Times ^ | Sunday, August 1, 2010 | PATRICK McGEEHAN

[Willie Green]

Goldman Sachs, which has certainly borne its share of public anger about the financial crisis, is now drawing heat for another reason: noisy ferryboats.

The boats, which have been running almost constantly across the Hudson River every weekday since Goldman moved into its new headquarters in Battery Park City, have generated frequent complaints from residents of the neighborhood. Goldman does not own the offending boats, but it is paying a ferry company to keep them running 16 hours a day between a floating terminal at the edge of Battery Park City and a dock near Goldman’s waterfront office tower in Jersey City.

The dispute about the boat noise has droned on for so long that Battery Park City officials have hinted that they might want to give the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the $50 million floating terminal, the heave-ho, saying the agency is violating the terms of its lease with the high noise levels.

In a letter he drafted to the Port Authority recently, James E. Cavanaugh, the president of the Battery Park City Authority, demanded an end to the “unreasonable noise” emanating from what he called the Goldman service.

Now, having fielded complaints for eight months, Goldman is preparing to solve the problem with its wallet. The firm is having two ferryboats built to its specifications at an estimated cost of more than $5 million, said people with knowledge of the firm’s plan who insisted on anonymity because they did not have permission to discuss it. The two boats, which would be more luxurious than the typical commuter ferry on the Hudson, could arrive before the end of the year, these people said.

Goldman intends to substitute the new vessels for the NY Waterway boats that have been plying the short route...

[norraad]

Well , good for them, after all, they got all our money , they ought to do something with it.

[frogjerk]

The ferry is head and shoulders better than the PATH or NJ Transit especially with the enormous fare hikes for NJ Transit.

There is no comparison of the quality and punctuality of service.

[Alberta's Child]

From what I’ve heard from people who have commuted to NYC using various methods, the ferry is very expensive compared to those other routes. You also run into the occasional problem in the winter when ferry service is suspended due to ice floating in the Hudson River.

[frogjerk]

From what I’ve heard from people who have commuted to NYC using various methods, the ferry is very expensive compared to those other routes. You also run into the occasional problem in the winter when ferry service is suspended due to ice floating in the Hudson River.

The ferry I take has not had an interruption in 3 years due to ice. Also, that was only for one week.

Yes, it is more expensive but it is on time and there is no traffic or track problems or hot cars like NJ Transit. The ferry commute takes about 1 hour off of my commute a day which I spend with my family. Time is money and you cannot put a price on getting home earlier and leaving later that If I took the train.

Also, this time of year is great. On the way home I can go out on top of the boat and have a drink from the bar as I sail past the Statue of Liberty and under the Verrazano bridge.