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GAZETTE STAFF / NEW YORK CITY
Staten Island
& Downtown Commuters:
The Hardships Created
by the Terrorist Attacks
by Ernest Barteldes
ife
has always been difficult for Staten Island commuters, and their cries
have always seemed unheard, since most of New York mostly ignores them.
The island, which is often referred to as "The Forgotten Borough" has
long suffered with the disregard that city authorities have towards it.
After all, Staten Island is no tourist attraction (except for the new
ballpark and the free ride with a view of the Manhattan Skyline, the
Statue of Liberty - still closed for visitation as of this writing - and
other important New York city views), but mainly a residential area in
this great city.
The press has often mentioned the bad conditions of the Staten Island
Ferry Terminal at the tip of Manhattan - especially at night, when it
becomes an unsuitable shelter for drunken, homeless individuals. Often is
has been noticed that the no smoking and no alcohol consumption
regulations are largely ignored there, which makes the terminal a hazard
for the Islander who chooses not to drive home and pay the overpriced toll
of the Verazanno-Narrows Bridge - not to mention those who do not own
automobiles.
Then there is the ferry schedule. On weeknights after 11:30 PM and on
weekends between 7:00 PM and 11:00 AM, ferries only run every hour , even
though the terminals are overcrowded during those times, which forces
various commuters who work odd hours to leave home far earlier than
necessary .
Critics might argue that there are the express buses, but then those do
not run on weekends, and they are also not affordable for everyone.
The only times that the ferries had a decent schedule was at rush hour
(please notice here the use of the past tense here ), when the boats were
made available every fifteen minutes.
Now even that has changed.
The recent attacks upon the World Trade Center in Downtown Manhattan
have undoubtedly taken an immeasurable toll in our city's life and all
over the country, and it will be long until we can recover from the
horrific historical events we have all witnessed.
But as New York gets back to life, Staten Island becomes, after
Manhattan, borough most affected by the changes endured by every commuter.
As is of public knowledge, the
collapse of the World Trade Center directly affected several subway lines.
The 1 and 9 train tunnels below Chambers Street caved in completely,
and it will be years before they can be repaired (ironically, maintenance
work had been completed on those tracks just two days before the attacks).
Those lines, plus the N and R trains (which were also affected from City
Hall to Whitehall Street) were the main ways from South Ferry to other
parts of Manhattan and to Brooklyn.
The daily commute is now basically done via the 4 and 5 trains (the
closest to South Ferry) , which always ride completely crammed regardless
of the time. "I now take those trains at basically every hour", told me a
commuter "but even at 2:00 AM those trains run packed!"
According to MTA sources, there is not much that they can do about
that. Although the number of trains has been increased, they still cannot
meet the demand of Subway users. Of course, buses are an option, but then
commuting time virtually doubles due to traffic conditions.
In addition to those troubles, the rush hour schedule from Staten
Island to Manhattan was altered in order to accommodate the new ferry
service from Bay Ridge (in Brooklyn) to South Ferry - which utilizes
Staten Island ferry boats and crews during peak hours during the week.
Now, instead of the usual 15-minute interval, boats only run - extremely
crowded despite their immense capacity (the Barberi-class boats, which are
not designed to carry cars, can take as many as 6,000 people) - in
20-minute intervals, which has become a hassle to many.
Another ongoing hassle is the ongoing and seemingly permanent ban on
cars on the Kennedy-class boats.
Despite a recent report by a local newspaper, The Department of
Transportation does not plan to allow automobiles ferries in the
foreseeable future. "I think cars will be banned forever", said a deck
hand on the S.I. Newhouse ferry ."There are several security concerns,
such as the danger of someone planting a car bomb going off in one of the
boats."
A tragedy of Titanic proportions immediately comes to mind as one hears
those words, especially with the approach of cold weather - survivors of
such an explosion would quickly perish from hypothermia in case of an
incident in any of those boats.
The New York Department of Transportation was contacted about the
matter, but no one could be reached to comment on the issue on record.
Ernest Barteldes is an ESL, GED and Portuguese teacher. In addition to
that, he is a freelance writer whose work has been published by The
Greenwich Village Gazette, The Staten Island Advance, The Staten Island
Register, The SI Muse,The Downtown Express, Brazzil magazine,The Villager
, GLSSite, Entertainment Today and other publications. He lives in Staten
Island, NY. He can be reached at
ebarteldes@nycny.net
photos for this article by Ernest Barteldes
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