STATEN ISLAND — A new program will try to get Staten Islanders on the North Shore out of their cars to get around more.

The Department of Transportation launched the Go Smart NYC program Friday in the North Shore of the borough to encourage residents to walk, bike, use public transportation or carpool instead of taking solo drives.

"Staten Islanders are keenly aware of the transportation challenges in their borough, so I’m excited to launch Go Smart NYC in Staten Island to help them take advantage of New York City's growing number of sustainable transportation options," DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said in a statement.

The voluntary program will focus mainly on the area's Rosebank and the Stapleton neighborhoods and aims to "reduce the traffic congestion and emissions" from people driving by themselves, according to the DOT.

There are nearly 286,000 registered cars in Staten Island, according to the DOT, but there is no breakdown for the North Shore.

Car ownership in Staten Island is the highest out of any borough in the city with 84 percent of households owning at least one car, according to a 2012 report by the city's Economic Development Corporation.

Ownership rates dip slightly in North Shore neighborhoods — between 60 percent to 80 percent.

(NYCEDC)

The area is also home to the St. George Ferry Terminal and several local bus routes. However, residents complain that the area still needs more transportation options and more reliable bus service to make it easier to get around and gets inundated with traffic from residents of other areas driving to and from the ferry, Gothamist reported.

The DOT's Go Smart NYC program first launched around several Queens neighborhoods in 2015 and aims to get cars off the street by promoting different methods to get around.

The program is funded with a grant by the federal Department of Transportation.

The first program had about 500 participants who burned 15,000 calories by walking and biking, prevented 700 pounds of carbon emissions and reduced over 10,000 vehicle miles traveled by switching to other modes of transportation, the DOT said.

For their latest push, the agency created a new website and application and partnered with 5050 Skatepark to help get the word out.

"Whatever will get people off the couch and out in this beautiful city we love it," said Ed Polio, owner of the skate park, in a statement.

The DOT will also work with the Community Board to find places to add benches, bike racks and way-finding signage to make it better for residents to walk, bike or use public transit to get around.

The new website pulls data from the MTA and Google maps to help residents plan routes without their car and lets them order a personalized "travel toolkit" with more information on the different transportation options, the DOT said.

Residents can use the site or a phone application to log their trips which will show them the cost, environmental impact and physical activity from their transportation.

They can also qualify for discounts at several local spots — including Defonte's and 5050 — in the area by logging their trips, according to the DOT.