West Shore Express Passenger Ferry | Royal Bay to Victoria

Strange days ... you get press, mayors comments, and comments from Canada's west coast naval headquarters for suggesting that some level of government build a gondola on the edge of one of the (if not the) windiest straights in the Pacific Northwest?

I gotta start coming up with some of these kinds of theories, and getting my name into the paper.

If the potential for brutal wind storms doesn't break the back of this ridiculous idea, then the Base Press Officer certainly did when he alluded to the fact that likely the Admiral himself quite certainly wouldn't be letting folks sail over top of (or even close to) a bit less than a third of Canadas entire warship fleet.

Edited by splashflash, 28 April 2022 - 09:36 PM.

Brutal storms, pfffft. And there aren't fierce winds on the top of Whistler resort at which the Peak 2 Peak Gondola runs? Nice try.

LOL, of course there are, and the lifts close.

So you build a public transportation system for tens of millions of dollars, and it spends a bunch of its time closed due to high winds.

You've actually made my point for me in the course of acting the part of a smart-ass.

Nice try.

https://dailyhive.co...-january-3-2019

Gondola or no gondola, whatever commuter option is chose. Where will you find space to park 5,000 cars for free?

Yes, the free parking lot is at the base.

I think this all makes for interesting conversation, especially if you're a local that has actually seen the Westshore to Downtown develop into what it is today.

But the reality is (IMO) the Provincial and Regional governments lack any and all imagination required beyond putting in bus lanes, and increasing the bus runs.

In our lifetimes (the folks posting here anyway), the best we're going to ever get is more buses, and a dedicated bus lane.

The bus lanes are already either underway, or planned ... so dreams of a ferry, gondola, or rapid transit will (unfortunately) remain only dreams.

I think this all makes for interesting conversation, especially if you're a local that has actually seen the Westshore to Downtown develop into what it is today.

 

But the reality is (IMO) the Provincial and Regional governments lack any and all imagination required beyond putting in bus lanes, and increasing the bus runs.

 

In our lifetimes (the folks posting here anyway), the best we're going to ever get is more buses, and a dedicated bus lane.

The bus lanes are already either underway, or planned ... so dreams of a ferry, gondola, or rapid transit will (unfortunately) remain only dreams.

Except it's hard to add a bus-only lane each way on Admirals Rd.  If only those machinists and welders and electricians and painters could work from home.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 29 April 2022 - 07:38 AM.

Except it's hard to add a bus-only lane each way on Admirals Rd.  If only those machinists and welders and electricians and painters could work from home.

Yes, I'm afraid the current "master plan" doesn't do very much for CFB Esq. and surrounds beyond maybe increase bus service over existing (unmodified) streets.

Which is the dumbest thing of all, since CFB Esquimalt is the biggest single driver of traffic to the core from the West Shore.

Tell me again why they got rid of the blue boats?

I'm guessing they would be cheaper than a gondola.

Pipe dreams are free!

^^This is so true^^

My dear old dad had a very specific life-lesson he repeatedly taught me over the years ... which was to definitely develop personal aspirations, to definitely aspire to something more than your status quo, and further, that those aspirations had no limits as long as they were rational and achievable (don't suddenly "aspire" to be an astronaut when you're a 50 year old burger flipper at McDonalds).

But part #2 of that life-lesson was the rather strong warning that unrealistic pipe dreams were a waste of time and energy, and to avoid those pipe dreams in all aspects of my life ... and to not get involved with folks whose life seemed nothing more than a series of pipe dreams.

(he would then go on to explain the origin of the phrase "pipe dreams" as the wild, rambling dreams experienced by the opium pipe addict ... in his eyes a waste of a human life).

 (don't suddenly "aspire" to be an astronaut when you're a 50 year old burger flipper at McDonalds).

Councillor challenges Colwood mayor for top job

“I think we’re really close to getting that full feasibility study done,” he said, noting he has been in constant communication with the province, Royal Bay developers and the Royal Canadian Navy about the possibility.

Martin said one of his frustrations with local governments is not taking on projects that will pay off 10 to 30 years down the line.

He said people will one day ask why Colwood didn’t capture the land to make it possible when it had the chance and it was more affordable. “I see that that’s where we’re going to be in 30 years,” he said. “We will have Royal Beach in Royal Bay completely built out and we’re not going to have the land available to have a ferry system.”

Kobayashi, who was first elected to council in 2018, said that kind of project shows the difference between him and Martin.

“This is about getting back to what we’re supposed to be doing at our core services and making sure we are doing it really well,” said Kobayashi, a self-described fiscal conservative.

“We can vision all we want, but we must bring some realities to some of these what I call ill-conceived vanity projects.

_________________________

Kobayashi, a retired lieutenant colonel who spent 20 years with the Royal Canadian Air Force, worked another 27 years as a professional engineer and senior executive in the aerospace industry with a number of firms, including CAE Aviation and Conair Aviation.

He said Colwood needs to dial back the current building pace and ensure council is listening to what the community needs.

Martin, who is on the Victoria Regional Transit Commission board, said rapid bus lanes, now in use on Douglas Street, are coming to Sooke Road in the next two years. Those lanes, he said, won’t only help ease congestion, but will be the framework of light-rail transportation, and will help determine where housing needs to be densified.

As for the proposed ferry, developers of the $1.2-billion Royal Beach residential and commercial development say they’re holding a waterfront parcel for up to five years for a potential ferry terminal. The 135-acre waterfront development by Seacliffe Properties and Reliance Properties is expected to be built out over 15 years and eventually have 2,850 residential units.

B.C. Ferries completed a study in 2019 that indicated a ferry had potential to reduce traffic congestion in the region and increase transit use. But Martin said a new study is needed with modern costing and data.

Martin said a ferry connection between the West Shore and downtown Victoria would help the region achieve its clean energy goals, as an alternative to the single-occupancy vehicle.

But Kobayashi has questioned the viability of such a venture, saying that when he served as president of the West Shore Chamber of Commerce, Black Ball Ferry Line looked at the crossing and indicated the waterway — known as Royal Roads — is unsuitable for a catamaran ferry for six to eight weeks a year because of rough water.

He’s also concerned about the prospect of a large parking lot at the launch point at Royal Roads. “It’s something we have to take a hard look at,” he said.

https://www.timescol...-growth-5953512