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Transit System Could Cut Staten Island Commutes in Half, Supporters Say

By Nicholas Rizzi | January 22, 2015 11:54am
 The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and the New York League of Conservation Voters started a push to get the mayor and the governor to fund the North Shore Bus Rapid Transit system on Staten Island.
The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and the New York League of Conservation Voters started a push to get the mayor and the governor to fund the North Shore Bus Rapid Transit system on Staten Island.
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Staten Island Chamber of Commerce

STATEN ISLAND — A push to get a rapid transit bus system on Staten Island has been restarted after the MTA failed to add the proposal into its five-year plan.

The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce has teamed up with the New York League of Conservation Voters to petition Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio to fund the North Shore Bus Rapid Transit plan, which the MTA estimates could cut commute times in half.

"Staten Island is woefully underserved when it comes to mass transit," said Linda Baran, president and CEO of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce.

"The North Shore BRT would actually move people on Staten Island. The beauty of it is you could come off the BRT, you could get people to the College of Staten Island, to Metro Park in New Jersey. Everywhere."

The proposed BRT would link the St. George Ferry Terminal to the West Shore Plaza by a dedicated busway.

It would pave over the former North Shore rail line and cost the city an estimated $371 million to build, according to MTA plans.

Kevin Ortiz, a spokesman for the agency, said the MTA plans to talk to residents about their needs, but the agency is already $15 billion short for projects in the current proposed plan.

"There will be an ongoing dialogue regarding the needs of Staten Islanders in the coming months during capital budget talks," Ortiz said.

"There's far more demand for projects than what we have money for... or what we have the capacity to do in the next five years."

With large projects like the New York Wheel and Empire Outlets about to start construction and the city recently releasing a request for proposals for a business to build on an 18-acre piece of land in the Teleport, Baran said it's the perfect time to get started on the BRT.

"Right now we have some major projects on the North Shore which are key to growth and economic development," she said. "We really want to make sure we're proactive instead of reactive."

Many large corporations say the lack of transit on Staten Island deters them from opening up in the borough, Baran said, but the BRT could make it more attractive.

"If they need to bring in staff from other places, it's just very difficult," Baran said. "It's just a deterrent."

The groups launched an online petition earlier this month and have more than 500 signatures. They also canvassed residents around the borough about the BRT and plan to release the findings soon.

"Where there's a will, there's a way and we're really trying to impress upon the governor and the mayor to do this," Baran said.