A map shows Mayor Bill de Blasio's "citywide" ferry plan.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Mayor Bill de Blasio's decision to leave Staten Island out of the first phase of his "citywide" ferry plan has many Staten Islanders scratching their heads.

Those in the community -- from local elected officials to business leaders and residents -- say there's a real need for an extension of the ferry service to St. George, a destination spot for tourists and Staten Islanders alike.

And now there are surveys to support it.

Borough President James Oddo and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams have called on the mayor to link one of his proposed citywide ferries that stops in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to St. George.

"Adding Staten Island to the Brooklyn to Manhattan route would help in so many different ways that it really is a no-brainer," Oddo said in a statement earlier this year.

He has urged the city to include St. George on the South Brooklyn line that connects DUMBO, Red Hook and Bay Ridge with Manhattan.

While Stapleton had been included in a proposed phase of the city's five-borough ferry plan, it's not scheduled or funded.

Surveys taken of Staten Island and Brooklyn residents reflect the demand for the proposed "St. George Connector" for the citywide ferry service and show overwhelming support for the more efficient means of traveling to and from the borough.

"The ferry would keep people out of their cars. If the option existed less people would be driving their vehicles," said Joseph Ferrara, principal at BFC Partners -- Empire Outlets developer. He added that the new ferry dock, a joint venture between Empire Outlets and the New York Wheel, has the potential to be an "asset to the community."

"We're spending millions of dollars on a brand-new dock and we want to have as many operators that are willing to access it," he explained

AND THE SURVEY SAYS....



Staten Island residents and Brooklyn residents see a Brooklyn-Staten Island ferry service as a big win. In an Advance online survey conducted last month, 73 percent of the almost 1,000 Staten Island participants said they would ride a Brooklyn-Staten Island ferry.

Support was strong throughout Staten Island, however the largest numbers of those in favor were from North Shore neighborhoods, particularly those who reside close to the St. George ferry terminal.

Of those who said they would ride the ferry:

32 percent said they would ride five or more times per week

25 percent would ride two to four times per week

18 percent would ride once a week

24 percent would ride once per month or less

Brooklyn residents who took the poll also were in favor of a ferry connecting the two boroughs. Eighty-six percent of those who responded said they would ride it, while just 14 percent said they wouldn't utilize the service.

SECOND SURVEY

A third-party intercept study, which was done through personal interviews in January, also shows support for a frequent ferry service connecting St. George to neighborhoods in Brooklyn.

Of the 354 respondents, 52 percent were from Staten Island and 48 percent were from Brooklyn. The survey shows that 48 percent of Staten Islanders were interested, as compared to 77 percent of Brooklyn residents.

TRAVELING TO CSI

The Center for an Urban Future study published last year stated that 14 percent of Staten Island residents commute to Brooklyn for work. Many students, along with faculty, also commute to the College of Staten Island (CSI) from Brooklyn.

"The Staten Island/Brooklyn ferry service would greatly benefit their commutes with reduced travel times. It will prove to be an excellent option for CSI students and faculty in Brooklyn," said CSI spokesman Ken Bach.

Last year, the college had 2,865 students commuting from Brooklyn. Representing 21 percent of the student body, the majority of the college's Brooklyn students are clustered along the 4th Avenue and 86th Street commuting conduits -- areas that are ideally situated for bringing students to this new ferry service.

Additionally, 251 -- or 11 percent -- of CSI's faculty and staff commute to CSI from Brooklyn.

Bach noted that currently commuters take the train to South Ferry, where they catch the Staten Island Ferry at Whitehall Street to the St. George terminal.

"We look forward to the continued renaissance of St. George and the entire North Shore of Staten Island, and proudly support and applaud the efforts of our colleagues with the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce in advocating for new transportation options that will open up the richness of Staten Island to our neighboring boroughs," Bach said.

DIRECT LINK TO ATTRACTIONS

Providing a ferry service in St. George would benefit tourists visiting any of the St. George attractions -- from the NY Wheel and Empire Outlets to the St. George Theater and Snug Harbor Cultural Center.

"The majority of our visitors are coming with only one transportation option," said Ferrara.

New ferry options could also benefit the Staten Island Yankees, providing a boost in business, as the past few seasons have been tough due to less parking, gridlock traffic and increased tolls, said Will Smith, president and operating partner of the Staten Island Yankees.

"It will open the door for a lot of people who can't get here easily now," he added.

HOPES FOR FUTURE OPTIONS

Many Staten Islanders hope that a Brooklyn-Staten Island ferry would just open the doors to more ferry service in the future.

"I believe ferry service can beget more ferry service," Oddo wrote on Facebook. "That is to say, achieving it somewhere on Staten Island makes it more likely we will get it in multiple locations once we show how successful it is."

Smith is just one of many people who hopes that's true.

"I would love to see fast ferry service for South Shore residents....it's 22 stops from the southern tip (of Staten Island) to St. George," said Smith, noting he'd like to see a couple of points for ferry service to give South Shore and Mid-Island residents more options for getting to a game.

"There's so much going on in this neighborhood," said Smith. "It just makes a lot of sense."

NOT A NEW IDEA

In 1912, the Brooklyn and Richmond Ferry Co. began operating a ferry service from 69th Street in Brooklyn to St. George.

It was eventually taken over by Electric Ferries Inc. and later the City of New York, but ceased operations in 1964 when the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opened.

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