Statement from Borough President Vito J. Fossella Regarding the Staten Island Ferry Service Disruption
The severe disruption in Staten Island Ferry service today is unacceptable and is going to hurt thousands of people unnecessarily.
The Staten Island Ferry is a life-line for tens of thousands of commuters. Perhaps a family member needs to pick up a child or bring an elderly parent to the doctor. The level of disruption is enormous.
We know there’s been disruption previously in late night service, but now this has gone to another level.
Instead of a few hundred commuters disrupted we’re talking thousands.
By the DOT’s own numbers, the disruption to the twenty-minute rush hour service can result in as many as 2,228 passengers joining the already approximately 600 passengers on the top of the hour service, resulting in a staggering 2,828 passengers in one trip. The domino effect that will follow will cause a disturbance in our other public transportation systems like the SIRR and bus service.
As soon as we were notified, we contacted the Mayor’s office, the DOT and MTA to figure out if there’s any way to help alleviate these disruptions and provide additional resources. We asked the MTA if additional express buses are available, to waive the fare for today. We also asked the NYC EDC if there could be more fast ferry trips provided from Manhattan to St. George.
All parties must get back to the negotiating table immediately to resolve this once and for all. If this disruption can happen today, it can happen next week and then the week after that. Staten Island commuters are once again suffering from issues over which they have not created nor have control over.
Banner Image: Senator John J. Marchi Ferry. Image Credit – Robert Stump
BP Vito Fossella
The Office of the Borough President has a responsibility to advocate for the entire Borough of Staten Island and all its residents, and represents the Borough's interests within City government. The Borough President communicates directly with the Mayor and the City Council to emphasize Staten Island’s budget priorities. In addition, the Borough President is responsible for reviewing major land use decisions and proposing sites for city facilities within the Borough. As the chair of the Borough Board, the Borough President leads Staten Island’s City Council delegation and Community Board chairs in the process of reviewing and approving the transfer of public properties to private use. The Borough President’s Office houses the Borough's Topographical Bureau, which maintains the borough’s official maps and assigns street addresses. The Borough President monitors the delivery of city services on Staten Island, and acts as a liaison between residents and city agencies when problems arise to devise solutions. The Borough President is also responsible for appointing one member to the Panel for Educational Policy and one member to the City Planning Commission, as well as some 150 members to Staten Island’s three community boards.