Staten Island Ferry Boat Andrew J. Barberi Crashes Again!
Once again, news outlets are reporting that a Staten Island Ferry boat has crashed into the pier at the St. George Terminal while attempting to dock. Too many Staten Island residents can recall the October 15, 2003 crash of the Staten Island Ferry boat Andrew J. Barberi and the carnage that it caused, including the death of 11 passengers. The crash happened because the ferry operations did not follow their own written rules, which left one person in the pilot house while docking. Apparently, the Barberi has crashed again, leaving at least 60 people injured.
The Barberi has a long history of crashes. Besides the October 2003 disaster, on April 12, 1995, the Barberi crashed into its pier at the St. George terminal, injuring many passengers but a worse fate was avoided by the heroic actions of some of the crew members. We will know the full extent of the injuries within 90 days, the time limit to file a claim against the City of New York.
No one yet knows the cause of the crash but the lessons learned in the 2003 crash do not appear to have been enacted. In today's crash, the ferry boat Barberi approached the pier at a high rate of speed, some passengers even saying that the ferry appeared to be speed up and crashed into the dock hard. As the 2003 crash illustrated, when the ferry boat is that close to docking, deckhands should have been preparing to dock and been able to inform passengers of the impending collision. If the problem was not mechanically related, a second person should have been in the wheelhouse to help if the pilot became incapacitated. Commuters should have also learned lessons - stay off the stairs until the boat is tied to the dock! Everyone is in a rush to get off the boat but we need to stay safe. When accidents happen, the stairs are the worst place for you to be.
Thousands of commuters ride the ferry each day. Since the fare was removed, have we received better service? Although three new boats were added to the fleet to replace the aging Kennedy-class boats (pdf), ferry operations have been delayed by mechanical problems that continue to affect the new boats. And its obvious that the older boats are still prone to mechanical issues at their most vulnerable times. I question if the ferry operations are adequately funded and would welcome a review of their maintenance schedules. Once again, this could be a case of Staten Island residents receiving a "free" ride but at what cost to their safety?
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Anyone who drives on Staten Island during the morning commute, whether going to work or driving the kids to school, has seen impatient drivers speed up when school buses slow down. Too many of us have seen drivers ignore the red flashing lights and the stop sign extending from the side of the school bus and speed right by. Driver's approaching from the opposite direction seem to believe that they don't need to stop. 
