I was thinking about heading over to Fishers Island for a weekend to visit a friend working in a summer seasonal job. It looks like the Fishers Island folks don't like poor folks on bicycles crudding up their view. My attitude about the Glastonbury-Rocky Hill Ferry is exactly the opposite, especially since it was free this past Saturday for CT Open House. I was so excited about the free ride that I purchased a t-shirt with the ferry on it.
An open letter to the Fishers Island Ferry
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To whom it may concern,
I was planning a bicycle ride to visit a friend on Fishers Island. Was pretty excited about it as I hadn't yet had the chance to visit New London or that part of Long Island. Excited until I learned about the steep bicycle fare.
It seems absurd that the rate for bringing a bicycle on the ferry ($55) is more than the rate for an automobile ($51). Whats the logic there? A bicycle takes up significantly less space, can be stacked together, and is the environmentally responsible choice. The bicycle as transportation is also the clear choice if one were to worry about the quality of life in a vacation community, where traffic and parking are irritating issues.
Thought I'd put my two cents in. Based on my initial judgement of Fishers Island from the ferry rate, I'll skip the trip across the Sound and spend my vacation elsewhere. Not a big loss I'm sure, but if you've ever been to bicycle and pedestrian friendly towns and cities - you'll notice that life is better where cars aren't taken for granted as the only way to get around.
Have a beautiful smog filled summer, and I wish you short term profit followed by decades of rising sea levels. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Tony Cherolis
Beat Bike Blog
Hartford, Connecticut
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Question to readers. Am I missing anything by skipping Fishers Island, or is it just a bunch of white, over compensated investment bankers?
3 comments:
That IS weird. I visited Fishers Island by boat a year or so ago and, while I roamed on foot, kept wishing I had my bike with me. It's pretty there, but no prettier than a small CT town on the mainland, so I don't think you're missing anything. Please do post if you get a response, though, as I'd consider going back with my bike if the price was right, after I get a good ride in at nearby Bluff Point.
Fishers Island seems like an island full of folks I never want to meet. A private bike path built with donations to a 501c3? Sounds like a great reason for an IRS audit.
http://www.theday.com/article/20091213/NWS05/312139875
I'm super late to this party, but if you're down this way again I hope you'll check out the other ferries. An outing to Block Island is $10 each way (a little steep, but Block Island is really bike friendly). Cross Sound Ferry only charges $5 each way for a bike, and I recently paired that with a ride to Shelter Island where the ferry charged $5 for a same day return.
Looks like Fishers Island Ferry rates haven't changed since your post, unfortunately. They're lumped together with motorcycles and still $55 - a whopping $1 discount over automobiles during peak season. But from what I hear around New London, the only thing you're missing is a museum, a smattering of restaurants, and a lot of snobby rich folk giving you the stink-eye for deigning to visit.
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