The Staten Island Economic Development Corporation plans to bring a gondola cabin to Staten Island and drive it around the borough next month so residents can experience it. The Island could be the first in the country to use this transportation. Lisa Voyticki reports. Lisa Voyticki reports.

Ask most Staten Islanders what the commute to Manhattan is like, and their response is like Mardel Black's of Bulls Head. “It’s horrendous depending on which way you go, it's going through New Jersey is usually the best option,” said Black.

But imagine going through New Jersey via a gondola. That could happen according to a proposal which is now one step further along.

According to the plan, The gondola would leave from Elm Park and get you to the 8th Street light rail in Bayonne in just minutes. From there, you could connect to the PATH train to Manhattan.

"I would ride it, I would definitely ride it because I lived in Bayonne for seven years before and I was always you have to drive," said Elm Park resident Claudette Holton. ​

The Staten Island Economic Development Corporation or SIEDC released a blueprint a few months ago. According to the agency, in 33 minutes, an Island resident could be at the World Trade Center. Cars that fit more than a dozen people will arrive every few seconds.

“It sounds kind of dangerous in my opinion. I mean I guess I'd have to see it in action," said one resident.

And the week of April 20th , residents will get the chance to do just that. They’ll get to sit inside a cabin as it tours the Island.

“We have nearly half a million people in this borough but our transportation system is far behind where it needs to be," said Steve Grillo, First Vice-President at the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation. He says the gondola would cost about $60 million which is significantly less than building a subway.

He says the plan is to raise private capital and hire private operators.

“We don't need taxpayer funding to do it and we can move thousands of people a day," said Grillo.

Grillo hopes in the future that Staten Islanders can take multiple modes of transportation to catch the gondola in Elm Park.

“If the West Shore light rail is built or the bus rapid transit is built this is a great connecting piece to New Jersey," added Grillo.

Wednesday Mayor Bill De Blasio said the idea was "appealing."

If approved, SIEDC officials say the gondola could be up and running in about five years.​