New York’s Staten Island. According to one Staten Island elected official, the Staten Island Ferry would be the ideal starting point for more micro-mobility choices for Staten Island residents.
Councilmember Kamillah Hanks suggested in a letter to Mayor Eric Adams on December 26 that some boats might have empty car decks that might be used as a bike-share dock and e-bike and e-scooter charging station.
The North Shore councilwoman, a Democrat, wrote, “In the absence of an official safe and reliable charging station, I have seen commuters charging their personal e-bikes and e-scooters onboard the Staten Island Ferry during my recent frequent trips on the Ferry to and from City Hall.”
To help solve the need she saw on the Ferry, she proposed adding charging stations and perhaps a bike-share port to the old automobile decks.
According to Hanks, installing charging stations would also provide bikers with a controlled, secure space to power their vehicles.
I’ve seen Ferry passengers charging their e-scooters and e-bikes on board, which could be dangerous, she remarked. New York City must provide secure and efficient charging stations for its passengers since there is nothing more perilous on a boat than a fire.
According to a city Department of Transportation representative, the only current ferries with empty vehicle decks are the Molinari-class ships the Sen. John J. Marchi, the Spirit of America, and the Guy V. Molinari. About thirty cars can fit on the decks.
Many previous boats featured automobile decks for passengers traveling to and from Manhattan, but a federal legislation passed in 2002 essentially prohibited them from using the Staten Island Ferry, leaving the enormous deck space empty.
Bike-share program
Hanks also demanded that the city finally bring its CitiBike bike-share program to Staten Island, the only borough that does not yet have a single dock.
A spokesman for the Department of Transportation stated that the organization had received Hanks’ letter and will look into her concerns.
In December, Adams announced that CitiBike would be expanding to areas of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, but notably excluded Staten Island from the scheme.
The plan to bring Beryl bikes to the borough fell flat was canceled at the last minute by the company due to issues related to the coronavirus pandemic, but there have been attempts to introduce separate, smaller-scale bike share programs to Staten Island, including a brief pilot program by JUMP and Limein 2018.
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