6319 replies to this topic

[GabriolaGirl]

Oh look, I found a restaurant right by the Fulford Ferry Terminal.

https://rocksaltrestaurant.com

 

Oh that menu looks so delicious.  Will have to do a day trip from our rock to yours!

[57WestHills]

Are they even using the drop decks on the Spirit class ships? I doubt it...
Have they ever run more than one ship per hour?

On the have they ever front... Yes. Into the early to mid 90s? I don't know the year off the top of my head. For a short period after the Spirits came online the Queen of Victoria (same as the Queen of New West) was kept in service. So msot recently that allowed extra service on Route 1 with a fifth boat, including one summer where she somewhat oddly ran via Mayne making for a two hour sailing. That also allowed more Route 30 crossings to Departure Bay from Tsawwassen - pre-Duke Point. The Victoria was in bad bad shape and had to be retired. The Fast Cats would have been apart of regenerating that lost capacity bit obviously that's a long complicated tale.

Before this there was also times that six vessels were assigned to Route 1. Without doing too much math here I think those six vessels though, would have had pretty darn close to the same total daily lift as the current four.

The only short term change I can see on Route 1 other than lengthening the service day is platform decks on the Coastal class. They're built for them, and, unlike the Spirits, they can cut about 15 minutes off the crossing time if need be. This would / could minimize delays from platform use.

The challenge in all this is that Route 30 also needs some relief.

[Sparky]

Has anyone ever floated the idea of a ferry from Duke Point to Swartz Bay?

[FogPub]

Has anyone ever floated the idea of a ferry from Duke Point to Swartz Bay?

Other than during Malahat closures how much use would that ferry really get?

[Matt R.]

we have this ferry cam which is great.   The problem with the lineup here on Gabe is there is no parking lot,  it's along side an extremely busy road with lots of twists & turns, the lineup only goes so far along the side then there is a big gap where no one can park but people butt into line there blocking the road, do illegal u-turns on a blind corner.  This summer has been the worst I've ever seen it.  Every sailing during the day is an overload.  
 
http://www.ferrycam.clayrose.com/

If you do make it to Fulford, take a look at the road to the ferry terminal. Sounds much the same.

We have a 10 lane parking lot at the terminal, but that’s only about 1/3 of the ferry. The rest of the traffic goes up the (mostly) single lane road and around the corner, forcing people who want to come to the area for work or play or home to run the “gauntlet” down the hill on the wrong side of the road. Locals know not to bother coming down at ferry time, just not worth it. There are many, many overloads during the week which is of course great for business.

Ferries has long had a plan to expand the parking area and make road improvements but there are land purchases and capital expenditures to be made, so of course it’s going to take forever. If they ever do manage to expand that parking area we will have to rethink our business model to better capture the market.

We have another camera on the back of the building that will capture the rest of the line up, but it’s not activated yet.

Matt.

[Nparker]

Not a good start to the final long weekend of summer: http://www.iheartrad...ssues-1.7068984

Edited by Nparker, 31 August 2018 - 07:59 AM.

[shoeflack]

Sounds like a crew overboard incident involving one of the rescue boats. Didn't this happen earlier in the year with the Cumberland?

[Nparker]

...Didn't this happen earlier in the year with the Cumberland?

...A similar incident happened in April when two B.C. Ferries workers wound up in the water during a training exercise at Swartz Bay. The workers were sent overboard when a mechanism lowering a rescue boat off the Queen of Cumberland failed...

https://www.cheknews...ncelled-485253/

[AllseeingEye]

Story in the T-C about the (way overdue IMO) Swartz Bay terminal upgrade project. When the Departure Bay terminal in Nanaimo offers better food fare in a more modern and better designed building, you know you have some catching up to do.The Lands End Cafe at Swartz Bay was built in 1959....in the middle of the last century. Time to up your game BC Ferries.

 

I'd really like to know what knucklehead suggested a basketball court as part of a revamped terminal in that customer survey so I could slap him around. Its a ferry terminal FFS. Upgrade the food services facilities - design a much bigger and more modern building, with vastly improved food choices and better wi-fi - along with an expanded walk-on passenger facility and increased and better designed parking capacity, and call it a day. 

 

https://www.timescol...ring-1.23450302

[FogPub]

^ ...and a covered or sheltered transit terminus.

[PraiseKek]

Sorry about that. I also suggested a bowling alley so I thought they'd get that I was joking

[DustMagnet]

...

When the Departure Bay terminal in Nanaimo offers better food fare in a more modern and better designed building, you know you have some catching up to do.

...

Upgrade the food services facilities - design a much bigger and more modern building, with vastly improved food choices and better wi-fi - along with an expanded walk-on passenger facility and increased and better designed parking capacity, and call it a day. 

...

 

Are you hungry? 

[Bingo]

The terminal is not a destination as a place to eat, it only gives us access to the ramp onto the ferry where we try to avoid eating the food.

[Victoria Watcher]

why not put the money to more boats. then we are in the boat to eat and play basketball rather than a terminal.

[DustMagnet]

why not put the money to more boats. then we are in the boat to eat and play basketball rather than a terminal.

You know, if they bought enough ships and just lashed them together end-to-end...

Edited by DustMagnet, 04 October 2018 - 01:36 PM.

[Bingo]

why not put the money to more boats

 

How about a passenger only catamaran from Swartz Bay to Richmond and the Bridgeport Skytrain Station?

[FogPub]

How about a passenger only catamaran from Swartz Bay to Richmond and the Bridgeport Skytrain Station?

Or even just to Tsawwassen. (my pipe dream is that the skytrain or some sort of LRT will one day go from Tsawwassen to downtown on that side and Swartz Bay to downtown on this side)

[Jackerbie]

How about a passenger only catamaran from Swartz Bay to Richmond and the Bridgeport Skytrain Station?

 

Depending on the size of the vessel you'd have to circle YVR all the way up to Wreck Beach and use the north arm of the Fraser River. The bridges on the south arm are low with narrow pilings.

 

Anyways, doesn't seem that the report or concepts were linked. BCFerries has them posted online.

 

Concepts: https://www.bcferrie...ft-concepts.pdf

Report:http://www.bcferries...rd-phase-2.pdf 

[Mystic-Pizza]

The UPDATES to our terminal are supposed to include a Market, just like on the Vancouver side.  I always like going in the market on the Van side while I wait for my ferry, especially in the fall and winter months.

[Bernard]

The UPDATES to our terminal are supposed to include a Market, just like on the Vancouver side.  I always like going in the market on the Van side while I wait for my ferry, especially in the fall and winter months.

I have to say I really do not like the one in Tsawwassen.   There is not a lot of reasonably priced food, most of the year they are not open after 7 pm, and it is not accessible by the foot passengers.   

 

What I really want on the ferries is some decent internet, more charging locations, and alcohol.   I would love to have some beers while going through Active pass