New York’s Staten Island — The call to restore ferry service between Staten Island and Brooklyn is being made to Mayor Eric Adams once more.
Councilman Justin Brannan (D-South Brooklyn) and Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore) wrote to the mayor earlier this month requesting that Hizzoner begin ferry service between St. George and Bay Ridge.
Staten Islanders will be able to use the MTA’s Interborough Express, a light rail project that connects Brooklyn and Queens directly, at the proposed western terminal in Bay Ridge thanks to the swift ferry connection, the two City Council representatives wrote in their joint letter.
The two congressmen contended that the city would provide a link between the three outer boroughs without necessitating any detours into Manhattan transit hubs by establishing a ferry service between St. George and Bay Ridge.
According to the letter, “restoring the ferry connection to the [Interborough Express] would be a game changer, giving tens of thousands of residents a quicker, more environmentally friendly commute and giving over 500,000 New Yorkers access to cultural and entertainment venues in Brooklyn.”
The letter also claimed that the mayor’s administration had failed to respond to a prior correspondence from both lawmakers.
We wrote to support the restoration of the Staten Island-to-Brooklyn ferry route earlier this year, but we haven’t heard back yet, the letter said.
Given the substantial population expansion in both boroughs and the growing need for improved transit choices, it is imperative that this important subject be revisited.
The city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC), which runs the NYC Ferry system, was referred to by the mayor’s office when contacted for comment. The following statement was released by the department:
According to an EDC spokeswoman, we applaud the Councilmembers’ support and excitement for new relationships on NYC Ferry for their citizens. NYC Ferry is a vital component of neighborhoods throughout New York City and plays a significant role as a transit choice. We continue to concentrate on improving the accessibility, equity, and financial sustainability of our current service through the Ferry Forward strategy of the Adams administration, even if we are not actively seeking expansion alternatives or new route modifications.
The ferry’s infrastructure is already in place, Hanks and Brannan said. All that would be required for the NYC Ferry stop in St. George is a link to the American Veterans Memorial Pier, which was once the 69th Street Pier.
The letter also noted the notable success of the NYC Ferry’s present St. George to Midtown route, noting that its passenger volume has grown by 151% in just the past 12 months.
Despite this, Staten Island has some of the longest commutes—many of them taking more than 90 minutes—and the least amount of quick boat service.
At the 2021 launch of the route connecting the borough’s North Shore to Manhattan, the NYC Ferry received calls for additional service to South Brooklyn, including from former Borough President James Oddo. However, in 2022, EDC officials stated that expansion was put on hold due to systemic financial problems.
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