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Elected officials call on mayor to bring Staten Island ferry back to former Bay Ridge Pier

Brooklyn Council Member Justin Brannan, along with Staten Island Council Member Kamillah Hanks wrote a letter to the mayor asking to restore ferry connections between their districts.

Shniece Archer

May 1, 2024, 11:12 AM

Updated 217 days ago

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Lawmakers are proposing that the Staten Island Ferry restore ferry connections and add a direct stop in Brooklyn.
"We'd like to incorporate a Staten Island-Brooklyn connection in the existing NYC ferry network," said Council Member Justin Brannan.
Brooklyn Council Member Justin Brannan, along with Staten Island Council Member Kamillah Hanks wrote a letter to the mayor asking to restore ferry connections between their districts.
"We want to encourage folks to use public transportation, but in order to do that, you have to provide more options than what we've got now. Right now, you've got the Verrazano Bridge or you've got the Staten Island Ferry, which takes you to Manhattan and that's it," said Brannan.
The council members said the piers to make this happen already exist and that all they need is a contracted ferry that can go from Staten Island's Saint George pier to the former 69th Street ferry pier in Brooklyn. Some Brooklyn residents told News 12 this extra stop could mean more exploring.
"If you have more stops, you could probably see more people and maybe in other places it would be more fun," said Ashley Galeno.
Some people living in Bay Ridge also told News 12 they don't think an extra stop is needed in their neighborhood.
The mayor's office told News 12 that while there are no plans to pursue ferry expansion, they welcome the suggestion from the council members.
As for next steps, advocates said they have to figure out how much this would cost with other city agencies and figure out a program to make this happen.