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Senator Diane J. Savino

23rd State Senate DistrictFerry Report 2009

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Introduction

When it comes to quality of life issues on Staten Island, there is no bigger issue thantransportation. Staten Island continues to be plagued with road congestion and an aginginfrastructurethat isstillbasedoncolonial roadnetworks.These issues,alongwithhightollsand no feasible pedestrian way off the island, compounds the overall stress of the averageresident.TheStatenIslandFerryistheonlynon‐vehicularmodeoftransportationbetweenStatenIslandand Manhattan and is therefore one of the key modes of transportation for residents. Itprovides 20 million people a year (60,000 passengers a day not including weekend days)transportation service between St. George on Staten Island and Whitehall Street in lowerManhattan,makingitStatenIsland’ssinglemostusedformoftransportation. Withthisinmind,SenatorSavino’sofficehasattemptedtoreachouttoferryriderstoaskthemquestions regarding quality of life issues on the boats and in the terminals.We did this bycreating a “Mobile District Office” in the St. George/Staten Island Terminal, as part of aconstituentoutreachprogram,duringwhichstaffmembershandedoutthe“StatenIslandFerryReportCard”,forthepurposesofsurveyingridersontheferryservice.ThesurveytookplacefromJune29ththroughJuly1st,2009,betweenthehoursof7:00amto9:00amand4:00pmto6:00pmonTuesdayJune29th.Sincetakingofficein2005,SenatorSavino’sofficehas,fromtimetotime,receivedcomplaintsregardingtheStatenIslandFerry.Thesespanawiderangeofconcerns,fromtheconditionoftheboats,securityonthebusramps,tounwantednoiseontheferry.Staffmembersnormallyaddresseachconcerncasebycase,howeverwe feltamorepro‐activeandholisticapproachwouldbethebestwaytoimprovetheservice.

StatenIslandFerryBackground TheNewYorkCityDepartmentofTransportation(NYCDOT)operatesandmaintainstheninevesselfleet,aswellastheSt.GeorgeFerryTerminalonStatenIslandandtheWhitehallFerryTerminal in Manhattan. Its sole purpose is to transport Staten Islanders to and fromManhattan. In1898StatenIslander’soverwhelminglyvotedtoconsolidatetheboroughsintoaGreaterCityofNewYorkbaseduponthepromiseoffrequentmunicipalferryservicebetweenManhattanandStaten Island. The fivemile, twenty‐fiveminute ride takes justas longas itdid in1898,whenFulton’sFerrymadethesamerunundersteam. A typicalweekday schedule involves theuseof fiveboats to transport approximately 60,000passengers daily (109 daily trips). During the day, between rush hours, boats are regularlyfueled and maintenance work is performed. Terminals are cleaned around the clock and

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routine terminalmaintenance is performed on the day shift. Onweekends, three boats areused(75tripseachSaturdayand68tripseachSunday).Over35,000tripsaremadeannually. In2003legislationwaspassedbytheCityCouncilincreasingtheferryserviceto24hour,half‐hourminimumservice.MayorBloombergvetoedthatlegislationandacompromiseincreaseinservicewasinitiated,includingexpandedlatenightandmorningserviceduringtheweekdays. SummaryandMethodologyforSurvey Survey respondents were asked to evaluate their ferry service. Respondents filled out theStaten Island Ferry Report Cards in both the Staten Island/St. George Terminal and theManhattan/WhitehallTerminal. Thosecardswherethencollectedbystaffmembers. Surveyrespondentsalsohadtheoptionofmailing inthesurveythemselves.Asofthewritingofthisreport,wehavereceived46inthemail.Staffcollected546responses,or21%ofthecardshandedout.Thiswouldbeconsideredahighresponse rate from any survey and indicates that ferry riderswere enthusiastic about beinggiventheopportunitytoevaluatetheservice.Respondents were asked to evaluate fifteen separate categories as Poor, Fair, Good, orExcellent.Afinal“OverallOpinionofTheFerryService”sectionwasprovided,aswellasspaceforadditionalcomments.Theevaluationswereassignednumbers,i.e.,Poorisa1,Gooda2,andsoforth.Gradeswerethenassignedtoeachofthecategories,utilizinga4.0gradingsystem,whichwereaveragedforalettergrade,i.e.,4.0=A,3.0=B,2.0=C,etc.(Seechartavailableonpage4)The report divided responses into four categories: Poor, Fair,Good, and Excellent. Rankingswere determined by finding the average of each column presented to us on the card. Oncethose averages were found, they were placed into different categories, based upon thecalculatedmeans,andassignedalettergrade.Forexample,“SecurityoftheBusRamps”hada2.15average,oragradeofC.“Cleanlinessofthe Bus Ramps” had a 2.36 average, or a grade of C+, and “Frequency of the Bus at theTerminal” had a 2.41 average, also a gradeof C+. The above‐mentioned categories had thethreelowestaveragesandwerethereforeputinthePoorcategory.This process was then repeated in determining which category each columnwould fall intothroughout the sheet. Included in each category is a brief synopsis of the views of theconstituents.

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Thenextsub‐sectionusedinanalyzingthedatawasachartcomputingthenumberofPoor’s,Fair’s,Good’s,andExcellent’sthatwerereceivedontheStatenIslandFerryReportCards.TheprocesswascalculatedusingtheExcelProgram. Out of the 546 respondents, 422 added their own comments on how to improve the ferryservice.Abreakdownof thosecomments isavailableonpageseven. It is tellingthat77%ofrespondentschosetotakeadditionaltimetomakeacomment.Themethodologyfor“StateSenatorDianeSavino’sFerryReportCard”isasfollows:2,500cardswere dispersed during rush hours of 7:00 am to 9:00 pm to workday commuters on thefollowingdates:Monday June29,2009,Tuesday June30,2009andWednesday July1,2009.CardswerealsodispersedonTuesdayJune29,2009from4:00pmto6:00pm.Thesetwotimeframes represent the highest level of ridership, according to a 2003 study conducted by theNewYorkCityCouncil anddata from theNewYorkCityDepartmentof Transportation FerryDivision.

Comments Respondents

More shops i.e. (tavern, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, pizza, upscale

restaurant, CVS or Duane Reade, dry cleaners, barber

shop/shoe repair)

140

More frequent service (especially 9:15 a.m. weekday boat

from SI, weekend and late night service) 93

Lack of security on bus ramps extend boat and terminal

patrols onto ramps especially at night, security cameras

needed

27

Complaints about preachers 24

More frequent cleaning/upkeep of boats 24

More proactive employees 21

Announcements are too loud 15

Would like delays announced including details 14

Like to see muted closed captioned TV’s in terminal 12

Seeking the return of car ferries 11

Compliments with overall ferry performance 9

Seeking live entertainment/cultural enhancement inside

terminals or on boats

7

Problems with the homeless 6

Complaints about closing doors before passangers board 5

Overcrowding 5

Troubling catching, or making, train and bus connections 4

Want more surveys 2

Improvements sought in how the ferry docks 1

MetroCard/newspaper service on the boat 1

More representation of minority groups among employees 1

Total 422

FerryGrades

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WhatFerryRidersareSaying Bus/Subway/SIRTservice

• Busrampshavenosecurity• The“nosmoking”ruleonrampsisignoredduetocompletelackofenforcement• Commutersfoundconnectionsonbuses,subways,andtheStatenIslandRapidTrain

servicetobedifficult“Nocoordinationofbusdispatcherandferryboatcaptainduringrushhour,adrugstoreandmorecoordinationduringrushhourontheStatenislandside‐St.George”“The1trainandtheWtrainsitonthetracksUNTILitiscertainthatwehavemissedtheferry!Coordinatethis!”Canyoupleasetryandeliminatepersonsfromsmokingandhangingoutinthewalkwaytothebuses.Thisisbecomingaseriousproblem.”“Smokersstandrightunder“nosmokingsigns”inbusrampsandnobodysaysanything.Rampsfillwithsmokeitstinks.Sometimespacksofkids,beggarsetcinbusrampscanbescary.”“PleaseSTOPpeoplefromsmokingonthebusramps.Iliterallychokeeveryday.”“Taxidriversmustbemadetowaitintheircarsdonotallowthemtoblockterminalsstairsorapproachriders.” Cleanliness

• Bathroomsrequiregreater,ormorefrequentattention• Bathroomsareregularlylackingsoap,orpapertowels,etc

“Thereisnevertoiletpaperornapkinsinthebathrooms.”

“Bathroomsintheterminalsregularlylacksoapandrequiregreaterattention”

“Manhattansidebathroomsinterminalareawful!” SecurityofFerryBoatsandTerminals

• Bothferriesandterminalshaveimprovedgreatlyandgenerally,passengersfeelsaferandmoresecureinterminals

• Thereismuchbetterpresenceofuniformedpersonnelandpolice“Securityontheferryhasimproved.”

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FerryBoats• Poorfrequencyofferryboatsonnightsandweekends• Ridersrequestedquickerferryrides• Complaintsofdelayed,late,andcancelledboats• Riderssuggestedannouncementsinadvance,ofdelayedorcancelledboatsviaanRSS

infoblasttextalertoronTwitter.• Complaintsaboutthepreachersontheboats• Riderswantedmetrocardserviceontheboat• TVswithclosedcaptioningtohelpkeepcommutersinformed,preferablyonlocal

channels,suchasNY1 “Pleasdesignatea“quietarea”ontheboatfreefromcellphonechatterandpreachersthenhavethecrewenforceit.”“Iwouldliketheferrytorunevery15minutesfrom4‐8pmthenevery20fromuntil9PMpeopleareworkinglaterandlaterthesedays,aperson’sworkisnolonger9AM‐5PM.”“Heavyhandedsecurity,bikecommutersaretreatedliketerroristsnocarserviceonboats.SeattleWashingtonhasnoproblemmovinghundredsofcars.What’sourproblem?”“Pleasestopthepreachers;itisaviolationofmyrightsasIamtrappedontheboatwithnoescape” FerryTerminals

• Commutersrequestedmorevendorswithagreatervarietyandmoreaffordableprices• Currentvendorswerefoundtooexpensivefortheaveragecommuter• Suggestionsincluded,drycleaners,drugstores,fastfoodplaces,ATMmachines,delis,

andcafes.

“Shouldbevarietyofvendorsattheterminalsi.e.PizzaHut,McDonald’s,Subwaysandwiches.”“Shops,restaurants,closedcaptionedTV’s.WhathappenedtoALLtheamenitiesthatweweregoingtohaveinthenewterminals?”“Starbucks,DunkinDonuts,McDonalds,Cosi,betterhoursforthepostoffice.”“Afloristshop,photoshop,bakery(arealone,notaplacetobuymuffinsinthemorning)drycleaner,pizza‐nowamajorsuggestion:ferryserviceontheweekendsisnowprettybad‐Iworkweekends,asdomanyothers,‐hourscheduleisarealpain!Whynotsimply½hourschedulealways24/7.”“Closed‐captionTVwouldbegreatforweatherandnews.AClothesshopformen/women…andwhereisthepizzeria?Afastfoodrestaurant,preferablyaWendy’s”

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“DryCleaner,shoerepair,pizzeria,upscalerestaurantintheterminalwithviewsacaféstylerestaurant.”“Addafastfoodchain,morerecreationalactivitiesi.e.livemusic,fleamarkets,morefrequentserviceeveryhalfhour,beerattheterminals,keepthepolicepresence,moreplacestoeat!,thankyouforkeepingitfree!,Nomorepreachers!”

Excellent Good Fair Poor Average

Cleanliness of boats 85 287 108 21 2.87

Cleanliness of bathrooms on boat 44 203 179 59 2.48

Cleanliness of terminal bathrooms 45 229 161 48 2.56

Cleanliness of bus ramps 30 179 177 75 2.36

Cleanliness of terminals 138 266 81 10 3.07

Service from deckhands/pilots 102 269 94 20 2.93

Service from terminal personnel 81 247 120 30 2.73

Service from vendors 63 226 132 45 2.66

Audibility of the announcements 126 222 103 42 2.88

Frequency of ferry service 70 224 119 69 2.61

Frequency of bus service at the terminal 40 180 155 73 2.41

Frequency of subway/SIRT service at terminal 72 210 86 38 2.78

Security on boats 116 256 85 35 2.92

Security in terminals 136 241 75 33 2.99

Security on bus ramps 41 135 137 146 2.51

Overall opinion of the ferry service 53 264 110 25 2.76

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SuggestionsFromRidersforImprovedService 1)Makeferryridesmoreenjoyable:

• Quarteringoffthepreachersintoa"freespeechzone"duetotheconfinedspacelimitations

• Lowerthevolumeofannouncementsandhavesignspostedforthehearingimpaired• Postonrampssomeauditoryorvisualsignastoowhenthedoorsareopen,closingand

closed• Allowvehiclesonboats• Onweekendsandduringoff‐peakhours,runboatsmorefrequently• Purchasesmallerfasterboats,withlessheadway• Bathroomsshouldbemorefrequentlycleaned

HelpkeepNewYorkersandtouristsinformedandontime:

• Usethescreensalreadyinstalledtoalsoindicatedelaysandcancellations• Createasystemthatinformsferryridersofbus,subway,andSIRTarrival/

departuretimes• Installmutedclosed‐captioningTVtunedtolocalnewsstations• Postsubway/busmapsinterminalsandonboatstohelptheircommuterunmore

smoothly• Installmetrocardmachinesinmoreconvenientlocations,suchasontheboats• InstallWI‐FIontheboatsandintheterminals• Installalargeclockatbothterminals

MakethetimespentofftheFerryenjoyableforridersaswell:

• Continuetohostthefarmer’smarketandlocalartistsandperformers• Ridersrequestedfoodvendors,rangingfromfastfood,tosit‐downrestaurants.• SportsbarortavernintheWhitehallandSt.Georgeterminals• Commercialcoffeeshops,suchasDunkinDonutsandStarbuck’swererequested• Pharmacy• Deliorconvenientstorestopurchasebasicgroceriesandnecessities• Drycleaners,barberandshoeshine/repairvendors

Maketimeinandaroundtheterminalandonboatsmoresecure

• Securitycamerasonthebusramps• ExtendingNYPDpatrolsontothebusramps• SignspostedonbusrampsandSIRTstation“under24hoursurveillance”

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Conclusions ImpedimentstoRetail ByfarthenumberoneconcernwasthelackofretailoptionsintheFerryTerminals.Outofthe422separatecommentsthatthattheridersfilledout,140ofthecommentswhereconcerningvendors in the terminals. Since 2005, when store space on the St. Georg Ferry Terminalbecameavailable,only twotenantshavebeensecured. AnoutreachcampaigntotheStatenIslandbusinesscommunitydidnotbeginuntilthisyear.AccordingtoJeanneGiordanoLtd.,thecompanyselectedtoleaseretailspaceintheSt.GeorgeTerminal,theNewYorkCityEconomicDevelopmentCorporation(NYCEDC)isaskingforrentof$80to$110persquarefoot,whereasstreetfrontrentinthesurroundingareais$22‐$45persquare foot. In addition, there is no internal infrastructure built into the retail spaces and,therefore, business owners are entirely responsible for the cost and installation of runningwater,electricalconnections,gaslines,wastewatersystems,etc.Typically,landlordswilleitherprovidethebasicinfrastructureorreimbursetenantsforthecostofinstallation. Thisreport’sconclusionisthatboththehighcostofrentalspaceandcostofconstructionoftheinternalinfrastructurehavebeenthelargestcontributingfactorstothelackofvendors.Rental space should have been made more affordable, in order to attract more localbusinesses,oragreatereffortshouldhavebeenmadetoseekoutlargercompanieswhocouldaffordtheexorbitantcostofrentingspaceintheterminals.TheterminalsthemselveswerecompletedintheSpringof2005,withtheretailoutletsreadytobeleasedbyJanuaryof2007.AfulltwoyearshavepassedandtheglaringlackofvendorsledtheCityCounciltoholdhearingsonthesubject.TheNYCEDCtestifiedthattheywouldworktohavethespacesrentedoutbytheendofthisyear.Both theNYCEDCand JeanneGiordanoLtd., state thatcommuters shouldexpect to seenewretail stores beginning in Fall of 2009, over twohalf years after the original projection. Theamountoflossrevenueduetothelackofbusinessesisdifficulttoquantify,however,itiseasilyinthemillions.According Jeanne Giordano Ltd., the St. George Terminal is 75 percent leased and theManhattan Terminal is almost 100 percent leased. However, the City’s inability to rent thespaces,uptothispoint,hasledustobeskeptical.It is ourbelief that theCity shouldbeupdating the community and ferry ridersona regularbasisontheprogressoftheretailspacedevelopment.

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MoreFrequentService Thesecondmostsuggestedimprovement,with93of422separatelywrittencomments,wasformorefrequentservice.Currently the last rush hour service leaving Staten Island is 9:00 am, afterwhich there is noservice until 9:30 am. Riders requested a 9:15 am weekday boat to Manhattan, toaccommodate the later schedules of many commuters. Many companies are allowing formore flexible schedules, so that employees can run errands or see their child off to schoolbeforework, forexample.Unfortunately, this isnotanoption formany Islandersbecauseofthe limited ferry service after 9:00 am. Adding an additional morning boat would allowcommuterstotakeadvantageofmoreflexibleworkschedules. Weekday ferry servicebetween thehoursof1:30amand5:30am isonanhourly schedule.The majority of the people taking these boats back from Manhattan are service industryworkerswithnocommutingalternative.Commutersrequestedaweekday24hour,half‐hourferryservice.Thiswillaccommodatehard‐workingand,often,low‐wageearning,secondandthirdshiftworkersandallowthemtospendmoretimewiththeirfamilies.Duringtheweekend,theferryservicebeginsrunninghourlystartingat7:00pm,toManhattan,and starting at 7:30 pm to Staten Island, imposing a curfew on Staten Islanders who desireaccessthenightlifeandculturalaspectsofManhattan.Inthepastdecade,ideasforfillingthisservice gap have been floated, including: hourly bus service between theWhitehall and St.George terminals to serve riders missing hourly boats, smaller faster boats allowing for thesame staffing while crossing the harbor more frequently, as well as half‐hour service. Thepresent disparity of round the clock transit options between Staten Island and the otherboroughsshouldnotbeallowedtocontinue.

LackofSecurityonBusRamps Thethirdhighest independentsuggestionwasfor improvedsecurityonthebusrampsontheSt. George/Staten Island Terminal. Respondents felt uneasy when entering or leaving theterminal due to lack of inadequate lighting, aswell as the number of individuals loitering orsoliciting.Currently,ridersenjoynewterminalsthatarewellmaintainedandpatrolled,aswellasnewferries.However,whenoneleavestheconfinesoftheterminalthereisadefinitelack‐ofsecurity. Cameras,newlightingandtheexpansionofterminalpatrolstoincludethebusrampswouldgreatly improvethissituation. Increasedsecurityof thebusterminalsshouldalso includeenforcementof thenon‐smokingpolicy in thebusramps. Currently, there isaflagrant disregard for the no smoking policy on DOT property and commuters must wadethroughacloudofsmokewhenexitingtheterminal.

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QuietDeck EverydaythousandsofStatenIslanderscrosstheHarborontheirwaytoworkorschool.Mostriders start their voyage much earlier, on a bus or car ride to the ferry. With the longestcommute times in the city, many Staten Island residents must travel over an hour beforereachingtheirfinaldestination,sufferingthroughtransfers,traffic,androadconstruction.Onewouldhopethatatripontheferryshouldbeawelcomerespitefromthestressofcommuting.However inconsiderate preachers, cell phone talkers, blaring music, loud video games andothernuisances,makethetripunbearableformany.Whiletheconstitutionrightlyupholdstherighttofreespeech,pastcourtcaseshavemadeallowancesfor limitingareaswhereonecanexpressthemselves,particularlyincaseswhereindividualsareinconfinedspaces.Forexample,an individual cannot yell, “fire” in an emergency room or a theater, or a public library canenforcea“notalking”policy.Aquietridewouldbeatremendousimprovementinthequalityoflivesofthousandsofridersspendinganhouradayontheferry. A quiet zone or deck on the ferry should be established. The City is within its rights todesignatea“quietdeck,”wherecellphoneuse, loudmusic, videogames,and loud talking isrestricted.LongIslandRailroad,MetroNorthTransit,andAmtrakridersallhaveaccesstoquietcars. Staten Islanders have just asmuch of a right to a peaceful ride as other commuters.

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