 Borough President Vito Fossella is officially asking the city to explore the use of electric ferries, currently used throughout Europe, at varying locations across Staten Island, which could potentially cut a commute down to as little as 30 minutes.
“The Staten Island commuter is beleaguered daily, especially from the South Shore to Midtown to Downtown -- it’s a very tough thing for the people of Staten Island to endure day in and day out," said Borough President Fossella at a press conference on the Ocean Breeze fishing pier. Borough President Fossella praised the introduction of fast-ferry service in St. George, but said adding fast-ferry service to other parts of Staten Island is not only limited by parking, but also by the existence of “no-wake zones” in parts of the Arthur Kill and the Kill van Kull. “There’s new technology that is coming out, especially in Europe, where there are hydrofoils that can operate without generating a wake,” said Borough President Fossella. “It means it can get from Point A to Point B in a faster duration.” The hydrofoils use underwater fins to lift the hull above the water, allowing faster and smoother navigation. A Swedish company, called Candela, simulated the estimated run time of an electric ferry from different locations on Staten Island to different locations in the city. Here's a snapshot: A simulation of a trip on an electric ferry from Ocean Breeze to the Whitehall Ferry Terminal took 20 minutes, a trip to West 39th Street took 28 minutes and a trip to East 34th Street took 29 minutes. Similar simulations from Fresh Kills and Great Kills were also conducted with travel times peaking at 46 minutes from Fresh Kills to East 34th Street. “So, it seems like there are opportunities to explore,” said Borough President Fossella. “This is real, the service is up and operating in certain parts of the world already. Today, we are officially asking the New York City Economic Development Corporation, which would spearhead this effort, to begin a formal process to evaluate and to open a dialogue with some of these companies that provide these types of services.” Borough President Fossella said it could be "gamechanger" if a commuter could travel from Great Kills to 34th Street in under an hour, adding the city should evaluate the pros and cons of each location and the feasibility of building piers to accomodate electric ferries. “The people of Staten Island deserve at least for the city to explore it," he said. "I think they’re open to it and they deserve a break -- the commuters do -- and this would really be a gamechanger for their lives, give them another hour or two of their life back each day and that’s something that we need to continue to push for.”  Borough President Vito Fossella and Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo renewed calls for an end to the proliferation of volatile lithium-ion battery energy storage systems on Staten Island.
Both have long been vocal opponents of the mass siting of dangerous lithium-ion battery energy storage systems (BESS) in residential neighborhoods on Staten Island, which was made possible by the reclassification of BESS to residential zoning in the City of Yes. Since the implementation of the City of Yes, a large share of all BESS units in the city have been proposed or sited on Staten Island. As BESS systems are nearing completion across Staten Island, fires continue to ignite near homes and businesses near these facilities across the country, including three in Warwick since 2023. “You’ve got to wake up once and say does anyone appreciate what we go through when somebody comes through and suggests that a BESS unit should be built right here,” said Borough President Fossella at a press conference at the site of a planned 10,000-square-foot system in an empty lot at 1963 Victory Boulevard on the border of Westerleigh and Castleton Corners. “They’re insane, they're unsafe, and if they catch fire, as they’ve done throughout the country, they have to evacuate neighborhoods and they close highways down.” Borough President Fossella called the siting of the BESS units near Staten Island homes and businesses “unconscionable and immoral.” “And we’ve been banging the drum literally and figuratively that you don’t deserve this next to your home,” said Borough President Fossella. “It’s unfair, it’s borderline immoral, and others argue it’s borderline illegal to do this to you. So, the powers that be think it’s good for Staten Island, but we think it’s bad and we think it’s wrong.”  Borough President Vito Fossella issued the following statement regarding the postponement of construction on the Korean War Veterans Parkway:
“There seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel for the Korean War Veterans Parkway. After the initial delay, and a continued series of productive conversations with the State Department of Transportation and the Governor’s office, we are pleased to announce that the KWVP maintenance project is now being postponed until after Labor Day. In addition, there will be a concerted cleanup effort for the south-bound lane in the coming days, the barrels will be removed, and the right lane will be reopened. We are grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul and the NYS DOT for hearing our concerns and those of our residents, and for being good partners throughout this process.”  The city is proposing a new dedicated bus lane on Victory Boulevard, which would eliminate parking spaces for residents, teachers, parents, students, and businesses along the busy corridor.
"Raise your hand if you want to eliminate parking on Victory Boulevard?" said Borough President Fossella during a recent walk along the Boulevard. "I didn’t think you did, but guess who does? The City of New York." The proposal would eliminate parking on one side of Victory Boulevard from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and on the other side from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. from Bay Street to Little Clove Road. "So, if you happen go to Notre Dame Academy and park here, you’re out of luck; if you teach here, you’re out of luck; if you’re a resident in one of these buildings and you typically park on the street, you’re out of luck," said Borough President Fossella. "This is just one more page out of the book of insanity where the people of Staten Island are left out of the equation." Before decisions are made that affect our neighborhoods, Staten Islanders deserve to be heard. "Let’s work on solutions that make sense for our borough, not policies imposed from afar," said Borough President Fossella. " Let’s change this page once and for all." And, a secondary proposal would eliminate parking on Victory Boulevard from Bay Street to the College of Staten Island. "Seems radical to me or stupid -- or both," said Borough President Fossella. |