By Joseph Morales

             The Staten Island Railway (SIR) is a rapid transit line operating on the East Shore of Staten Island. The SIR is the closest thing Staten Island has to a subway. The line is used by many Staten Islanders to get to the St.George Ferry Terminal, either to transfer to the Staten Island Ferry or to get to the St.George neighborhood. The St. George neighborhood has one of the highest employment densities on Staten Island and is home to major attractions such as the Empire Outlets, Snug Harbor and the Richmond County Ballpark home. Many other important points of interest are located in St. George, such as courts, borough offices as well as social services and other municipal buildings. Besides getting to and from St. George, the SIR is used by many to get to and from a variety of places on Staten Island and can be faster than driving on busy streets such as Hylan Blvd. In addition even though more Staten Islanders own cars than in other boroughs, many Staten Island residents do not own a car, so the railroad is critical for these residents to be able to access the East Shore of the Island.

             Unfortunately, many SIR stations might not be considered pedestrian-friendly. According to a survey done by State Senator Diane Savino in 2013, 61% of SIR riders used the bus and 23% walked in order to access the Staten Island Railway, indicating the need for safe conditions at the stations. 16% of Staten Island residents are seniors, who may find it easier to take public transportation than drive, especially considering the Staten Island Railway has not been known to have the same crime or crowding issues as the NYC subway, making it more senior friendly. These station entrances may be considered unsafe for many reasons, such as lack of signaled crosswalks and sidewalks.  The SIR also does not have MetroCard vending machines, station agents and other amenities found in the NYC subway, making the railway less convenient for riders.

There are 4 stations have at least one entrance without a sidewalk. These stations are the Annadale, Bay Terrace, Old Town and Richmond Valley Stations. The Richmond Valley station has no sidewalks leading up to its entrance next to the Staten Island Dance Center on one side of the road. Walking to the station would require using the other side of the street and walking on the street to access the station. The Richmond Valley Station though there are sidewalks at the station, there are no sidewalks around it, so riders coming from other parts of the corridor still cannot walk to the station. The station also has no crosswalk, so riders must cross the busy and wide Richmond Valley Road to enter the station, possibly creating a pedestrian safety hazard.  People may use the station to access Long Pond Park and North Mount Loretto State Forest, which are two major recreational destinations for people across Staten Island and the region.  Similar scenarios appear at Ellis St entrance to the Arthur Kill station, which has no sidewalk on the adjacent sidewalk or crosswalk for those walking on that sidewalk to cross onto the sidewalk leading up to the train station. There are also no sidewalks at the Belfield St entrance to the Annadale Station, and the Dawson Place entrance at the Old Town Road station.  

Another potential safety issue that makes it difficult to access SIR stations is not having crosswalks at stations.  Some stations have an entrance with no nearby signaled crosswalk, making it possibly dangerous for riders to cross the street to and from the station. Most of these station entrances are on overpasses with busy road corridors that run above the railroad tracks, making crossing the road potentially even more dangerous for pedestrians. Many riders who ride the SIR at these stations also take the bus to these stations, and thus have to cross the street on either their outgoing or return journey. These stations include the Richmond Valley, Prince’s Bay, Huguenot, Annadale, Jefferson Av, Dongan Hills, Old Town and Grasmere stations. The Grasmere station is located in the middle of the busy Clove Rd in which many riders transfer from the S53 bus to the SIR.  Many riders also walk to and from nearby W Fingerboard Rd and Hylan Blvd, as well as nearby residences. Similar situations play out at the Annandale Station(Annadale Road and S55 bus), Huguenot Station(Huguenot Av) and Prince’s Bay station(S55,S56, SIM25). The Huguenot and Prince’s Bay station provide access to Tottenville High School which has almost 4,000 students and many of whom may use the railway to get to and from school, so a higher portion of riders may walk to these stations than others.  The entrances at the Grant City station are a prime example of how crosswalks could work at streets adjacent to SIR/subway entrances without crosswalks. 

At the Clifton station, there is a long crossing at the intersection of Bay St/Edgewater St/Front St which may make it difficult to use the Front St entrance. There is a three way intersection between Bay St, Front St and Edgewater St. Edgewater Street merges diagonally with Bay St, and Front St intersects with Bay St horizontally. The traffic signal on Edgewater St is a long distance from the intersection making it hard for motorists to see and stop at. The length of the crossing between Edgewater and Front St on Bay St is extremely long with no pedestrian refuges or painted crosswalk. The length of the crosswalk may make it hard for the elderly and those with mobility disability to cross, as one has to commit to walking the entire crosswalk to make it to the other side. The lack of painted crosswalks also make it hard for turning vehicles and other motorists to recognize pedestrians, especially considering the length of the crosswalk. There is also no sidewalk on part of Edgewater St approaching its terminus at Bay St, making it difficult to walk down Edgewater St to access the Clifton station.

          Addressing these issues can make the Staten Island Railway a better and more appealing option for Staten Island transit riders. Hopefully, the MTA and NYCDOT can work out solutions to address these problems.

Works Cited
State Senator: Diane J. Savino. “Staten Island Railway Rider Report.” Zdocs.pub, 2013, https://www.nysenate.gov/sites/default/files/articles/attachments/Savino%20Staten%20Island%20Railway%20Report.pdf. Accessed 26 September 2022.