Immediately after the September 11, 2001, attacks, Staten Island ferryboats were used to evacuate attack victims from the World Trade Center. The line was then temporarily closed for a week, with ferry service restored by September 18. When it reopened, some ferries were diverted to Bay Ridge due to the closures of subways and roads across the East River. This continued into 2002, by which time some 2,200 passengers per day were using the ferry, and continued to do so even after the subways and highways were reopened. In 2003, both terminals' lower levels were closed, and all vehicular traffic on the ferry was banned, due to the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. Under this act, passengers would have to board and depart from different sections of the ferry; and since the lower levels of each ferry were used for departing, they could not be used for boarding. This made boarding the ferry inconvenient for park-and-ride users at the St. George Terminal.