Campaign for Island to Brooklyn Fast Ferry Route Expands

Staten Island residents held a rally at Borough Hall late in September to demonstrate the increased support for expanding transportation options on the Island. Advocates are campaigning for fast ferry service from St. George in Staten Island to Bay Ridge in Brooklyn for the benefits it would provide to quality of life, and the environment.

“An average of 200,000 vehicles cross the Verrazzano bridge daily. Those are 200,000 vehicles adding congestion to our streets, exhaust to our air, and noise to our neighborhoods” said Rose Uscianowski, a St. George resident and Organizer for Transportation Alternatives in Staten Island and South Brooklyn. Uscianowski, also a member of the Ferry Riders' Committee for St. George Civic Association (SGCA) continues, “If ferry service were to offset just a fraction of those trips, it would offer our communities physical and mental health benefits for generations to come while making streets calmer and safer.”

The NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) owns the City’s ferry network, NYC Ferry, and contracts with Hornblower Cruises to operate. NYC Ferry currently operates a dock at either end of the proposed route. The St. George-W39th St route launched in 2021, and the South Brooklyn route serves Bay Ridge at the American Veterans Memorial Pier - prioritizing transporting commuters back & forth to Manhattan over connections between outer boroughs.

Organizations advocating for the new fast ferry line include the SGCA, New Brighton Civic, Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens, and Waterfront Alliance. “Staten Islanders suffer from some of the longest commutes in the country and few transportation options. A simple commute to Brooklyn, right across the bay, can take over an hour by private vehicle or public transit” said Tamer Mahmoud, Chair of the Ferry Riders' Committee for SGCA. Mahmoud continues, “Resurrecting ferry service to Brooklyn cuts that travel time drastically and allows greater ease of access to Brooklyn and the rest of NYC.”

The call to connect Staten Island to Long Island via Brooklyn, would actually restore a ferry connection between the boroughs that ended six decades ago. The municipal ferry operated along a 1.5-mile route for 75 years from 69th Street in Brooklyn and St. George, Staten Island. The municipal ferry carried 27 million passengers and 1.8 million cars between Brooklyn and Staten Island in 1963, the ferry’s final full year of operation. Despite the millions in ridership the City Board of Estimate voted 20 to 2 on Nov. 19, 1964, two days before the opening of Verrazano‐Narrows Bridge, to discontinue municipal ferry service within the week. Albert V. Maniscalco, then Staten Island Borough President, voted no anticipating ‘the inconvenience to commuters, including many schoolchildren.’ Beyond the severing of the Bay Ridge and St. George communities, the ceasing of ferry service laid off 140 workers.

Proponents of the new fast ferry line also recognize the vessels as a means to bring new visitors to the Island. "We are a city of islands and we need a system that connects them via our waterways. I love the NYC Ferry system, I want to be able to take it from the Staten Shores to Brooklyn and up to the 'boogie down' Bronx” said John Kilcullen, a Tompkinsville resident and member of the Ferry Riders' Committee for St. George Civic Association. Kilcullen continues, “I want residents from the Bronx, Brooklyn, and beyond to experience all that Staten Island's north shore has to offer by boat as well.” Lindy P. Crescitelli, President of the New Brighton Civic cherishes “having opportunities to take the NYC Fast Ferry and encouraging others to do so as well.” Crescitelli continues, “A route connecting us to Brooklyn and the rest of the NYC Ferry system will present new vital transportation alternatives for many more awesome inter-borough economic and cultural opportunities for us all.” 

City Councilmembers Kamilah Hanks and Justin Brannan, Borough President Vito Fossella, Assemblymember Charles Fall, and State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton have all voiced their support for Ferry expansion, as well as Mayor Eric Adams at a Community Conversation in Woodrow. Councilmember Brannan joined the rally-goers at Borough Hall to further demonstrate his support for expansion. Councilmembers Joseph Borelli and David Carr have thus far not publicly expressed their positions, and did not respond to Plea’s repeated requests for comment. Despite NYC Ferry docks in use at either end of the proposed route and the broad support for expansion, NYC EDC officials said in 2022 that NYC Ferry expansion was on hold because of financial issues. Just one year later, in September 2023, NYC EDC announced the Staten Island North Shore Action Plan. NYC EDC's $400-million public investment in Staten Island's waterfront neglected to include plans for NYC Ferry, which they own and manage.

The fiscal scrutiny of public transportation improvements is largely absent when contrasted with roadway for cars, such as the recent announcement by the NYC Department of Transportation to invest $24-million in narrowing sidewalks to widen Amboy Road along a 0.4-mile stretch - at $11,364/foot.

NYC EDC provided a statement in response to Plea’s request for comment that suggests NYC Ferry expansion still remains on hold.

'NYC Ferry plays an important role as a transit option, and we welcome New Yorkers' advocacy and excitement about NYC Ferry and the recognition about the critical part it plays in our communities. While we are not actively pursuing expansion options, our focus is on making our current service more accessible, equitable, and financially sustainable through the Adams administration's Ferry Forward plan.'