Brooklyn to Staten Island

November 6, 2006 8:22 AM

NYCCommuteFilter: What is it like to commute from Brooklyn to Staten Island in the morning over the Verrazano Bridge by bus? I can find the bus routes and the google maps and everything but I wonder what the experience is actually like (I am considering working in Staten Island). Google maps says it takes 16 minutes from Bay Ridge to Silver Lake Park but that sounds impossibly speedy.
posted by Aghast. to Work & Money (5 answers total)

Best answer: I live in Bay Ridge (Fort Hamilton area). The Verrazzano is almost literally my backyard. I've taken the bus a few times before and it's roughly 20 minutes from the stop in Brooklyn to the first stop in Staten Island. It's a relatively comfortable ride and many people do it. What you need to consider though is how far into Staten Island you will need to go into for work. Don't forget to calculate the time spent waiting for the bus also.
posted by pinksoftsoap at 8:44 AM on November 6, 2006

Traffic in the morning from Brooklyn to Staten Island isn't too bad. I've never taken the bus that route, but I have driven it many times, and I don't think I've ever hit a traffic delay. The route I've taken is Ft. Hamilton Parkway (starting near the Prospect Expwy) to the BQE, then one or two exits to the bridge.
posted by skwm at 8:49 AM on November 6, 2006

Aghast - Do you live in Bay Ridge? Are you working in/near Silver Lake Park?

There are two bus routes from the 86th Street R station in Bay Ridge to Staten Island. The S 53 goes down Clove Road towards the Staten Island Zoo, while the S 79 goes south on Hylan Boulevard before looping around to the Staten Island mall on the island's south shore. While both run frequently, it would be worthwhile to take into account where you're working and how far in you will be. Staten Island is a biiiiiiiiig place.

/ex-Islander
posted by huskerdont at 9:06 AM on November 6, 2006

We can help more if you give more details -- Staten Island is indeed a biiiiiig place and one thing to keep in mind is that if you're looking at the the standard NYC subway map, it really misrepresents the scale. On that map, SI appears about half as big as Manhattan when in fact it's about 2.5 times as big as Manhattan.

16 minutes from Bay Ridge to Silver Lake Park sounds reasonable as a direct route on the highway with little traffic (as will be the case for this reverse-commute), but of course it gets more complex if you're going by bus, making multiple connections, etc.
posted by lorimer at 9:24 AM on November 6, 2006

Response by poster: Hey. Thanks for the responses. I live in northern Brooklyn (Greenpoint) but I think if I accepted the Staten Island position, I would move to a more southern area of Brooklyn. The position is near Silver Lake Park. It's good to know that that commute, from what I'm hearing, is not as much of a pain as I first imagined.
posted by Aghast. at 7:07 PM on November 6, 2006