Public transportation is integral to Staten Island as well as every other borough. Mass Transportation influences not only the perceptions of the people on the island, but also how we should be perceived by those looking in. A commonly mentioned characteristic of this great island is its isolation, a description contradicted by the tremendous web of ways to travel into and across the island. With four bridges and a ferry, more connects us to the city than many believe. Roads, buses, bridges, the trains, and the ferry are our means of travel and they all have their individual perks, problems and Controversies. Without such services Staten Islanders would quite literally be stranded with no way off the island. These modes of transportation also add to the island's character. The Staten Island Ferry allows a unique view of the harbor, the train is a piece of, almost ancient, history, and the buses are nearly identical to those running through every one of the five boroughs, a fact which brings us that much closer to the rest of the city. The Verrazano Bridge is an architectural marvel and the The Staten Island Expressway effectively pulls the farthest reaches of the island closer together.
