The NYC Ferry system suspended service on Tuesday at four stops along the East River, part of the general transport chaos seen in New York each year during the United Nations General Assembly.
The city’s Economic Development Corporation, which runs the ferry service, said just before 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 24 that service was suspended at the stops at Astoria, Roosevelt Island, Long Island City, and Hunters Point South, citing “increased security restrictions for the UN General Assembly.”
Service at these stops was still not restored by noon.
The snarl comes as the UN General Assembly descends on Manhattan, bringing diplomats and dignitaries from most of the world’s 197 countries into the Big Apple and leaving New Yorkers with some of the slowest traffic of the year. Each day this week has been designated as a “Gridlock Alert Day,” and commuters are being encouraged to use mass transit.
A spokesperson for EDC said that the ferry system will face continued disruptions throughout the General Assembly, which ends on Sept. 28. Those decisions are at the discretion of the Coast Guard and the Secret Service, the spokesperson said. These could include “delays and/or cancellations” along the Astoria, Soundview, and East River routes, according to the ferry’s website.
