staten island ferry: new ferry design recommendations · newferrydesignreport03.docx page 1 of 16...

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Staten Island Ferry: New Ferry Design

Recommendations

New vessels for a major urban transportation link and a world-

renowned tourist excursion

July 9, 2015

Staten Island Ferry Riders Committee

http://www.statenislandferryriders.com/

telephone +1-718-816-5522

email [email protected]

facebook.com/StatenIslandFerryRiders

New York City is in the design phase of the procurement of up to

three new Staten Island Ferries.

The Ferry Riders Committee submits these design recommendations

based on members’ more than 100,000 roundtrips on current and

former Staten Island ferries.


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.facebook.com/StatenIslandFerryRiders


Introduction

The Staten Island Ferry is a major transportation link (22,000,000

passenger trips per year) and a world-renowned tourist excursion.

It runs 365 days per year 24 hours per day, very frequently in

commuting rush hours, every half hour during the day and evening,

and every hour in the small hours of the night. It is owned and

operated by the City of New York.

The current ferry fleet has four classes. In order of oldest to

newest: The Kennedy class, the Barberi class, the Noble class, and

the Molinari class. The Noble class are small 2-deck ferries; the

Kennedy and the Barberi class are large 3-deck ferries; and the

Molinari class are large 4-deck ferries.

The City is in the design phase of a procurement, established by

the Preliminary Design Investigation for Staten Island Ferry

Fleet: Engineer’s Analysis and Recommendations Report, January 10,

2012, for up to three approximately 4500-passenger ‘large’ ferries

for pedestrians, non-motorized bicycles, and disability vehicles,

with passenger areas on three decks (Main, Saloon, Bridge), to

follow the pattern set almost from the first motorized ferry in

1817 – a double-ended (no turning around) ferry with wide bow /

stern area for quick boarding and disembarking.

These design recommendations are submitted by the Ferry Riders

Committee (FRC), a civic group whose mission is to be a voice for

Staten Island Ferry Riders and to bring about changes for their

benefit (http://www.statenislandferryriders.com/). The members of

the FRC pooled their perceptions of the good and bad features of

the ferries, and solicited ideas from other riders, and these

design notes arise from more than 100,000 round trips on the above

ferries and some on predecessor classes now decommissioned.

F/B Manhattan, the first ferry procured by the City after

taking over the ferry service



Architecture

The Preliminary Design Investigation calls for the new ferry to

serve pedestrians, non-motorized bicycles, and disability vehicles

with three decks (Main, Saloon, Bridge), with the Main and Saloon

decks at the level of the existing embarkation ramps. This makes

for a level embarkation / disembarkation (though tides cause some

level mismatch), and provides a headroom on the Main Deck of

approximately 15'.

Outside promenades (‘weather decks’)

The most contentious issue in the Preliminary Design Investigation

was to propose to replace the traditional open promenade / weather

decks with ‘a “convertible” outboard gallery area on both sides of

the Upper Deck with fold-down windows to create an outside area

during pleasant weather’.

The open promenades, featured for at least 125 years, are popular

with commuters and tourists alike, and are used winter and summer,

night and day.

The indoor promenade had

been introduced in 1981 with

the Barberi class, and is

widely disliked for bringing

the outdoors inside and vice

versa, for difficult manual

opens and closes of the

windows, and for ruining the

tranquil atmosphere of the

promenade area.

The FRC raised this issue in

2013.

After widespread protest the

City Department of

Transportation (DOT)

Commissioner Janette Sadik-

Khan said outdoor seating

will be part of any new

ferry design. (‘New boats

for Staten Island Ferry will

include outdoor seating,

city says’, by Tom Wrobleski

in the Staten Island

Advance, January 29, 2013.)

F/B Barberi without promenades (from

siferry.com)

F/B Kennedy with promenades (from siferry.com)


Foredecks

The foredecks of the ferry have a special role to play – as a

embarkation / disembarkation area (on the Main and Saloon Decks)

and an observation area (on all three decks).

The F/B Kennedy has the best foredeck area on the Saloon Deck – a

full 24' from the line at which the shore ramp touches the deck to

the Saloon Deck doors.

This deep ‘lintel’ makes a popular sitting and observation area,

and makes for quick embarkation as passengers can sort out the

options of doors ahead of them.

The FRC supports a deep open foredeck on the Main and Saloon

decks.

There is also an open air foredeck

on the Molinari class ferries, but

it is locked in the forward

direction (unlocked in the aft

direction). What is the reason for

this? The FRC supports an open air

foredeck on the Bridge Deck that can

be used in both directions.

The foredecks in the present ferries

show a peculiar improvisation of

barriers. For example the foredeck

of the F/B Barberi is protected by a

tie-back rope, a closed door,

another rope, a chain, and a lazy

tongs gate. The FRC urges naval

architects to come up with a simpler

barrier, acceptable to the Staten

Island Ferry, to prevent passengers

from falling off the front of the

boat.

Foredeck on the F/B Kennedy (Nicholas Zvegintzov)

Foredeck barriers on the F/B

Barberi (Nicholas Zvegintzov)


Center exit lower level

The ground-level terminal ramps have

left and right pedestrian walkways

flanking a wide ramp formerly for

vehicles.

The new ferry should be designed for

convenient embarking / disembarking

via the center ramp.

Stairs

‘On board a ship, all "stairs" are called ladders, except for

literal staircases aboard passenger ships. Most "stairs" on a

ship are narrow and nearly vertical, hence the name.’ –

Wiktionary, Appendix: Glossary of nautical terms

The pitch of the staircases on the three classes of big ferries

are:

Kennedy: Riser 7", Tread 10"

Barberi: Riser 6-1/4", Tread 11-1/4"

Molinari: Riser 7-3/4", Tread 10"

The stairs on the newest class, the Molinari, are the narrowest

and steepest.

The Staten island ferries are not cruise ships, but their stairs

(not ladders) should be scaled to land people, not mariners.

Doors and windows:

Since the ferries operate in a marine environment subject to

storms, they should have marine pocket doors and marine casement

windows, as in the Kennedy class.

The heavy swinging doors on the Barberi and Molinari class ferries

are accidents waiting to happen, since they can swing unexpectedly

and mangle passengers. They also have to be locked shut in

inclement weather.

Obstructed boarding on the F/B

Kennedy (Mike Cagno)


Zones

Participant observation shows that usage of the ferries falls,

formally and informally, into zones – quiet, napping,

conversation, snacking, tourists, bicyclists...

Tourists prefer the exterior, and the Statue of Liberty side and

the Manhattan end.

Bicyclists have to be on the Main Deck.

Groups of commuters seize their favorite locations.

And so on...

The FRC has no specific recommendations, but urges that a design

consultant specializing in interior spaces and in circulation be

used, as well as naval architects.


Fittings

Seats

The traditional configuration of the seats in the ferries has been

benches set crossways, in back-to-back pairs, not divided

lengthways down the middle. In the words of the Preliminary

Design: ‘Bench seating is a good choice for SIF, with benches

arranged athwartships [i.e., crosswise in the vessel, not

lengthwise] to improve circulation.’

This configuration was preferred in the FRC survey.

The seating material has changed from wood (Kennedy) to plastic

(Barberi) to metal (Molinari). The wood was preferred.

Though wood is not now permitted due to marine fire regulations,

it is worth considering what its advantages are. Apparently they

are:

1. Not heat-conductive, i.e., not cold in winter and hot in

summer.

2. Solid, i.e., the seats do not flex or buffet as passengers sit

or stand.

Some material with these characteristics should be found.

In addition the angle of the seats in the Kennedy class was

universally preferred to that in the Molinari class. The latter

seats cause slumping and sliding.

Angle of seats on F/B Kennedy

preferred (Nicholas Zvegintzov)

Angle of seats on F/B Molinari not

preferred (Nicholas Zvegintzov)


Bicycle zones

The only vehicles allowed on the ferries are non-motorized

bicycles and disability vehicles.

These all load / unload on the lower (Main Deck) level.

The ferry design needs to make an appropriate space for bicycle

parking with enough capacity. The bicycle parking on the present

ferries is an ad hoc add-on.

Life jackets

A Staten Island ferry has not sunk in

114 years (the FB Westfield on June

14, 1901), but if there are life

jackets they must be known and

accessible to the passengers. (One

can, regrettably, imagine a terrorist

situation that makes life jackets

necessary.)

In the old boats life jackets were

either under seats or in the ceiling

of the promenades, very close to all

passengers. On newer boats they are

hidden away in cabinets and secured

with plastic restraints.

Future boats should have lifebelts under the seats and on the

promenades.

Official bicycle parking on F/B

Molinari (acid-stars.com)

Overflow bicycle parking on F/B Molinari

(Nicholas Zvegintzov)

Inaccessible lifejackets on the

Molinari class (Bob Zion)


Signage

Besides the location of emergency equipment, the ferries need a

variety of signs:

Location of emergency equipment

Location of exits and emergency exits

Rules (NO SMOKING, NO LOUD MUSIC, ...)

Pointers to toilets, snack bar, elevators...

Pointers to emergency telephones

Plans of the vessel and its facilities.

Beside these, the following were also suggested:

An indication of the direction of disembarkation (since

the ferries are two-ended)

A declaration that ALL PASSENGERS MUST LEAVE THE BOAT

(mandatory prior to reloading)

A pointer to the Statue of Liberty side (tourists

constantly confused).

The media of the signs should not

be too ‘architecturally’ designed,

e.g., they should be on media that

the Ferry organization can maintain

and update with in-house resources.

Announcements must be designed in both auditory and visual form.

Current loudspeaker announcements are sporadic, hard to hear

because of ambient noise, and possibly in a language or an accent

that is a hindrance to the listener. Visual / audible

announcements are mandatory under the Americans with Disabilities

Act (ADA): (‘Where public address systems convey audible

information to the public, the same or equivalent information

shall be provided in a visual format.’).

Signs on the F/B Barberi (Natalia

Morales)


Amenities

Snack bars

The snack (and drink) bars are a traditional and well-loved

feature of the ferries. (And a revenue source.)

The snack bar area on the F/B Kennedy is well appreciated, being a

square ‘island’ amidships on the Saloon Deck, well-lighted and

easily accessible, with serving counters on the aisles and stand-

up eating and drinking counters on the transverses.

It has no tables, however.

The snack area on the newest

Molinari class is cramped

and claustrophobic.

Snack bar on the F/B Kennedy (Nicholas Zvegintzov)

Snack area on the (newest) Molinari class –

cramped (Natalia Morales)


The snack bar area on the F/B Barberi is well proportioned and

open, with a single serving counter and a snacking compound with

chairs and seating counters (though drably institutional).

This model seems to the FRC to be the best.

However it has one drawback: the single serving line backs up into

the aisles during busy hours.

The FRC feels that the available foods and drinks need to be

elevated from basic ‘ballpark’ fare (hot dogs, beer, French fries,

doughnuts) to improve health, smells, and choice. This is not a

matter that can be achieved by ferry design alone, but it is

important that the snack areas be equipped with cooking, cooling,

cleaning, storage, and serving equipment suitable to a Class A

food establishment.

Electrical outlets and Wi-fi

The FRC is informed that all the current ferries are in process of

being upgraded to provide wi-fi (some already completed).

Therefore this is now the norm.

The new ferries should be equipped with electrical outlets to

accommodate the passengers in the mobile phone / tablet era.

Presently it is common to see passengers clustering around floor-

level utility outlets, with electrical cords snaking around the

floors. The tables in the snack area should also have electrical

outlets, as is now common in airports and other waiting rooms.

(With the ferries generating some 9,000 hp, we assume there is no

lack of power.)

Snack area on the F/B Barberi – large but institutional (Nicholas Zvegintzov)


Utilities

Toilets

There is one thing a passenger vessel needs that a freight vessel

does not – toilets.

Unaccountably, the Preliminary Design Investigation alleged:

‘Restrooms across vessel classes are generally underutilized. As

such, it is not unreasonable to consider allocating less space for

restrooms in new designs...’

Anyone who has traveled the ferries, especially if female or a

parent, knows that this is not true.

The numbers bear this out: with 25-minute trips on 4,000+

passenger capacity ferries that regularly reach 30+% capacity on

some trips every day of the week, there are often lines at the

toilets.

The actual capacities for the Women’s are:

Kennedy: 10 stalls

Barberi: 13 stalls

Molinari: 7 stalls

The shocking under-capacity of

the Molinari class is

theoretically balanced by the

fact that on the Bridge Deck

there are additional toilets, of

unknown capacity.

However the Ferry organization

has never unlocked them.

(The inability of the Ferry

organization to manage multiple

toilets is of course not to be

overcome by ship design.)

The FRC feels it is better to design toilets on multiple decks for

future convenience, since it is easier to change the Ferry

organization’s incapacity than to change a design incapacity.

Molinari class ferry, closed toilets on

Bridge Deck (Nicholas Zvegintzov)


The toilet utensils on the

newest Molinari class ferries

have been chosen from

correctional facility

plumbing and equipment in

stainless steel. (Surprising

enough to be featured in

http://toilet-

guru.com/ship.php.)

The institutional plumbing

gives an oppressive and

hostile impression.

The Molinari class

bathrooms are also

entered through a

unisex door wide

enough for only one

person, opening into a

lobby from which users

can see into both

restrooms

simultaneously.

The Barberi class entrances

offer the best models.

They are symmetrical in the

mid deck, each entered by a

separate transverse open to

both port and starboard

passengers, with the bathrooms

off the transverse – offering

both easy accessibility and

total privacy.

Molinari bathroom entrances (Nicholas Zvegintzov

Barberi bathroom entrances (Nicholas

Zvegintzov

http://toilet-guru.com/ship.php

http://toilet-guru.com/ship.php


The lighting in the ceiling fixtures of the toilets should be

coordinated with the placement of the stall walls. In the

Barberi class ferries some stalls are exceedingly dark because the

central light does not shine into them.

The Staten Island ferries are also notable for the ‘vanities’ in

the Women’s – seats, counters, and mirrors – much used during

morning and evening commutes.

(These vanities are famous enough to be the subject of the

documentary Ferry Tales,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZZ6j0JzpLQ.)

The FRC recommends:

Adequate toilet capacity for a 4,000+ vessel on a 25

minute run (sometimes more)

Provision for babies and children

‘Vanities’

Wide entrances from port and starboard (as on Barberi)

Porcelain and tile plumbing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZZ6j0JzpLQ


Lighting

The new ferries should have

tranquil, life-like light, not

green fluorescents.

These color samples show the

incident light on the F/B

Barberi left and the F/B

Molinari right.

The light should not have to be

corrected photographically to

make people look human.

Incident light temperatures, Barberi

L, Molinari R (Nicholas Zvegintzov)

On the F/B Barberi (Natalia Morales)

On the F/B Barberi, corrected

photographically


Conclusion

The Staten island Ferry is appreciated by 74,000+ travelers per

day as an urbane and serene travel, appreciated by commuters and

known around the world.

The design recommendations in this report aim for the best

environment for travelers:

Architecture: Open air promenade decks fore and aft and

left and right, wide and deep boarding decks, forward

weather decks, marine casement windows and marine pocket

doors, stairs not ladders.

Circulation: Zones for passenger activities.

Fittings: Comfortable seats (firm, insulated, good

angle), accommodation for bicycles, harmonious lighting,

electrical outlets and wi-fi.

Safety: Life jackets plainly accessible, signage

auditory and visible.

Amenities: Open snack and souvenir area, with tables,

kitchen with adequate food service.

Utilities: Toilets scaled to a half-hour run, 4,000+

passenger load, dignified plumbing, good access,

privacy, lighting, vanities, water fountains.

The Ferry is both a major urban transportation link and a world-

renowned tourist excursion. It is the only way for thousands of

Staten Islanders to get to the City for work or school or

recreation. Commuting is exhausting and many feel that the ferry

offers half an hour of calm. Besides its engineering, the human

design of the ferry plays a large part.

These recommendations will cement the reputation and the mission

of the Staten Island Ferry.

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