Int. No. 56

By Council Members McMahon, Oddo, Lanza, Avella, Baez, Barron, Comrie, DeBlasio, Fidler, Gennaro, Gioia, Jackson, Jennings Katz, Moskowitz, Nelson, Perkins, Provenzano, Quinn, Recchia Jr., Reed, Reyna, Rivera, Sanders Jr., Seabrook, Sears, Serrano, Stewart, Vann, Weprin, Yassky, Liu and Gallagher; also Council Members Addabbo Jr. and Clarke

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to Staten Island ferry service.

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

                     Section one.  Chapter 3 of title 19 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 19-305 to read as follows:

                     19-305.  Ferry service.  a.  Any city owned and operated ferry operating between the Whitehall terminal in the borough of Manhattan and the St. George terminal in the borough of Staten Island shall operate, at a minimum, according to the following schedule:  (i) On monday through friday, except on legal holidays, a ferry shall depart from the Whitehall terminal in the borough of Manhattan  every twenty minutes between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.; every fifteen minutes between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.; every thirty minutes between 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.; every twenty minutes between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.; every fifteen minutes between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; every twenty minutes between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and every thirty minutes between 8:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.

(ii)  On monday through friday, except on legal holidays, a ferry shall depart from the St. George terminal in the borough of Staten Island every twenty minutes between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.; every fifteen minutes between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.; every thirty minutes between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.; every twenty minutes between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.; every fifteen minutes between 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; and every thirty minutes between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

(iii)  On saturdays, sundays and legal holidays service both to and from Manhattan’s Whitehall terminal and Staten Island’s St. George terminal shall be every thirty minutes beginning at midnight on each such day.

b.  The schedule of service set forth in subdivision a of this section shall not apply in the event of the mechanical malfunction of a ferry being used to provide such service, when the commissioner or a designee determines that weather conditions make it unsafe to operate in accordance with such schedule or when the commissioner determines that an emergency exists preventing compliance with such schedule.  In the event of any such disruption in the schedule of service set forth in subdivision a of this section, the commissioner or a designee shall, within forty-eight hours of the service disruption, submit a written report to the speaker of the council which shall include the specific reasons for the disruption and the time at which service was restored.  If service has not been restored by the time the report must be submitted, the report shall also include the estimated duration of the disruption in service and what, if any, attempts are being made to mitigate the loss of scheduled service.  Any disruption in service in accordance with this subdivision which has a duration in excess of thirty days shall require the approval of the council by local law.

c.  Any proposed diminution in the schedule of service set forth in subdivision a of this section, other than in accordance with subdivision b of this section, shall require the approval of the council by local law.

§2.  This local law shall take effect one hundred and twenty days after it is enacted into law.