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Post by Mike C on Jul 25, 2023 6:44:47 GMT -8
This morning, on a random summer Tuesday, BC Ferries is reporting a NINE sailing wait on the Tsawwassen side of Route 1, largely resulting from the lost capacity from the C-Cel being down. As of 5:30 am, they were ticketing for the 6 pm.
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Post by Mike C on Jan 17, 2023 10:48:23 GMT -8
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Post by Mike C on Oct 11, 2022 10:45:19 GMT -8
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Post by Mike C on Mar 29, 2022 20:44:44 GMT -8
Just a couple thoughts on the problem of meeting community need with capacity vs. terminal design...
Long-term, if population growth on islands like Saltspring is steady over time, it is not financially or logistically feasible to constantly expand holding lots in perpetuity. Eventually, there is a need to have transit and other transport modes meet the needs of folks who currently need to drive, or will need to drive if they move to the island. Personally I see two main challenges with this: 1) lack of service, and 2) issues with terminal design for lack of transit capacity.
For the purposes of this discussion, I'm mostly thinking about #2. BC Ferries terminal designs have historically not considered things like transit infrastructure or proper turnarounds when doing terminal design. This is something our friends down in Washington State do far better - transfers between ferries and transit buses or trains are often done undercover, in the same building, within the same facility. The design helps keep prospective riders dry, and the design of the infrastructure allows for growth of the service over time - so that when ferries become increasingly crunched in vehicle capacity and more folks make the decision to walk on, bus capacity and frequency can keep up.
Not so in BC - at Tsawwassen, Swartz Bay, Langdale, and Departure Bay, there is no shelter for passengers waiting for the bus to arrive at the ferry. At Horseshoe Bay, there is a small shelter that would facilitate about 10 bodies, at a location where the number of people connecting from ferry to bus can outnumber 200 on occasion. At Duke Point, there is no transit service to speak of. Countless other locations up and down the coast (including all three terminals on SSI, plus Crofton) see regular transit service, but the terminal designs do not accommodate easy access for buses, or contain accessible infrastructure for a bus to alight/load. Transit vehicles on SSI are also limited in size and capacity, primarily because of the lack of a proper turnaround area at two of the three terminals.
Unfortunately as I browse some of the terminal redevelopment plans and conceptual designs, this is still not being given the consideration it deserves. There is space for access for all transport modes, but the effort has not been made to make it accessible, appealing, or future-proofed. The province is growing on all fronts, and as we think about this kind of long-range transportation planning, BCF should recognize its role in that system, rather than as a standalone operation; and be mindful that the decisions made today are going to have an extended impact on how the services are shaped and grow over time.
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Post by Mike C on Mar 3, 2022 19:54:54 GMT -8
Moved previous posts in Ferries and Community thread into this thread for consolidation. Sorry Mike, hadn't seen your previous discussion. All good - deserved its own thread anyway.
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Post by Mike C on Mar 2, 2022 12:01:48 GMT -8
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Post by Mike C on Mar 2, 2022 12:00:42 GMT -8
Moved previous posts in Ferries and Community thread into this thread for consolidation.
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Post by Mike C on Feb 27, 2022 18:08:40 GMT -8
I feel like the last two Langdale berth closures were addressed via two-boat service? But my memory for these things is not particularly great these days. I certainly know it did a few years ago because I went over to ride the vessel previously known as the Island Sky on Route 3. Oh you’re probably right, this could just be one of those things where my linear memory of the thing stops in mid-2014 when I moved off the coast. Now that you mention it I do seem to remember something about two-boat single deck service for a day during maintenance.
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Post by Mike C on Feb 26, 2022 23:26:15 GMT -8
So I gather this means that all 'C' class vessels (except the Alberni) have these 'dog parks'. Re the articulating ramps, how often do they get used and are they actually needed anymore?
My understanding is that it’s just during any closure of the main berth at Langdale, planned or unplanned, requiring the use of the secondary single level berth. Anytime it’s planned it seems to result in some kind of a modified schedule due to the extended time for deployment. I’d be curious to know how often they’re tested regularly. Or, perhaps we’re close enough to retirement that the ramps themselves have already been retired.
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Post by Mike C on Feb 23, 2022 14:23:48 GMT -8
I didn't want to create a new thread for this, so throwing this in here, as something that is surely in response to some unease and frustration (perceived or real) in the communities that BCF serves... Rob Shaw reported this afternoon that the Coastal Ferry Act, the legislation that guides BCF and has assisted (or detracted) in ferry nerds falling asleep, has received a recent amendment introduced by Minister Fleming to "provide the tools for the BC Ferry Authority to best represent the public interest". It sounds like this is a move specifically targeting executive compensation, and more broadly could provide for greater oversight and control by the province over the management of the company. Here's the release from the province, found here: news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022TRAN0015-000256
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Post by Mike C on Feb 11, 2022 14:32:12 GMT -8
"Everyone loves a special livery". Umm...okay. I wonder if this is the beginning an airborne version of a Moby Lines ferry. Not quite yet, anyway. Well… could be worse, we could always have the Pokemon Jet… en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Jet
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Post by Mike C on Jan 21, 2022 21:03:42 GMT -8
I was on their site yesterday. Fares are cheap until you start paying to books eats, luggage, etc. But I guess that is the way of world. Hope they don't cram everyone in the same way Air Transat does with their Boeing 737 aircraft. Not a comfortable flight. My experience living in a Flair-served community has been that the greatest benefit to the ULCCs is that it is driving down the prices of the mainline carriers. While Flair will sell around $49 one way between here and YVR, WestJet and Air Canada will sell their seats at around $55. The latter is the better option, given the inclusion of carry-ons and lower checked bag prices, and far more comfortable aircraft.
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Post by Mike C on Dec 10, 2021 15:06:50 GMT -8
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Post by Mike C on Nov 19, 2021 11:07:56 GMT -8
Haven't noticed too much with groceries here in North Vancouver, but I see prices creeping up. Just wondering how a dozen large egss of Safeway's house brand went up 30 cents, and how a Loblaw's no frills can of beans did so likewise that were on sale for a buck the week before. Most (all?) of the grocery chains have their warehouses in the lower mainland with trucks being sent out from there. I believe Jimmy Pattison group (SOF/Overwaitea) is distributed out of Langley. They can get their trucks to North Van, but not to anywhere beyond Hope. In Prince George, we’re able to receive groceries from the Overwaitea distribution centre in Edmonton, and Loblaws from Calgary (though not sure how long that switch takes - I believe you’re right, the Langley warehouse served all of BC). Certainly didn’t stop the rather extreme reaction from residents, though; as my online food box remains undelivered I found myself unexpectedly meal-planning with bare grocery shelves.
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Post by Mike C on Nov 6, 2021 15:43:04 GMT -8
The new infrastructure bill contains $200 Million/year for the next 5 years for operations of the AMHS, and a provision going forward that allows Federal Highway fund money going to the AMHS. In practical terms, it means at least one new ship, probably more. The carbon reduction language is laughable; new ships must simply be more efficient then the ships they replace, which means a replacement for the Tusty or Mal simply has to clear a bar set by a utilitarian ship built 50 years ago. Federal infrastructure bill proposes billions of dollars for Alaska highways, ferries, broadband and sanitation projects A lot of the coverage seems to suggest that various provisions will repeatedly need to come up for renewal. Do you sense that this is something that will be popular enough on both sides of the aisle to be renewed consistently every five years, or will AMHS continue to find itself short $200m at that time, holding hostage the residents of coastal AK?
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Post by Mike C on Sept 16, 2021 7:13:22 GMT -8
When I was on the Kwuna a few weeks ago, I asked about the future of that vessel & its unique berthing arrangements. I was told that in reference to a refit replacement that an Island class is being considered in spite of having twice the capacity of the Kwuna. The Kwuna needs to be replaced soonish and is a tug and barge still acceptable as a replacement during the infrequent refits? This was brought up in the recently completed Terminal Development Plan for Alliford Bay. Quote from page 13: “The Fleet Master Plan identifies that the vessel serving the Alliford Bay (Gaats'iiGundaay) terminal, the Kwuna, is scheduled for retirement in 2027. The Kwuna is classified as a ‘Unique Class” vessel and the Fleet Master Plan identifies that any replacement vessel for this route will also be a Unique Class, double ended Landing Craft type vessel.” The TDP is available for viewing here (see page 14 for specs): www.bcferries.com/web_image/hf5/hcd/8798812209182.pdfThis indicates to me that they’re banking on a status-quo operation as they execute on terminal improvements on the Moresby side. Which is odd to me and seems to run contrary to the idea that there needs to be standardization fleetwide, especially since this is great timing to execute on exactly that (align new terminal facilities with new Island Class). Is there some aspect of this operation besides the ramps that necessitates the use of a “landing craft” type ship? EDIT: “Recently completed” turned out to not be super-recent; plan was approved Sept 2018.
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Post by Mike C on Aug 27, 2021 9:19:43 GMT -8
Gotta say... this is a good change. They were still using a very archaic method of collecting fares (cash only, punch cards for multi-trips) and it was a right pain in the behind as an infrequent user. I always wondered what percentage of costs were born by the fares... it can't have been high. Deep in the article it notes that the total annual operating expenditure for the ferry system is $10.7m annually, and fares cover about $1.3m of that. They’ll likely extract a lot of economic growth and tourist spend out of that $1.3m hit.
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Post by Mike C on Aug 25, 2021 9:32:19 GMT -8
Just wanted to add my voice to the chorus of those happy with the names. Given the extraordinary news over the course of the summer around indigenous issues, particularly in BC, I think at least a few of us are trying to approach aboriginal culture and language with eyes wide open, both the erosion that has happened over the last century and a half, and how to move forward. I know that I've certainly tried to educate myself a bit, and that's helped evolve my own thinking. Addressing the erosion of aboriginal culture and language is a key component of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; and while 'ferry names' aren't addressed specifically in the calls to action, I think that this can make a small but positive contribution to that effort. The posts above with folks in the group educating themselves on a couple new words (counting myself among them) I feel is a testament to that.
Good work BCFS!
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Post by Mike C on Mar 7, 2021 21:47:06 GMT -8
I was onboard one of these new ships. Something I noticed was that inside the passenger lounge, the charging ports for personal electronic devices are all USB-C type ports. Not a single standard USB port around. They are probably USB-C PD (power delivery) ports. In the long run this is a good thing. Especially on short haul routes that are 10-30 mins in length - a USB-C PD port can charge your average smartphone from empty to full in about 30 or so mins, often less.
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Post by Mike C on Mar 3, 2021 17:12:38 GMT -8
The beginnings of a new fare structure were announced today, including new jargon such as "Saver Fare." I suspect that this is part of a broader fare structure review that BCF will be rolling out over the next few years, but just wanted to get down some thoughts while riding the buzz of an afternoon steeped tea: I do appreciate the effort they are making to more evenly spread passenger loads by incentivizing travel during off peak periods. I think that, generally, this is a good thing; incentivizing reservations and reducing peak loads makes travel patterns more predictable and easier to manage from an operational perspective. But, there are some reasons that I don't think this goes far enough. It's unfortunate that this also did not include discounts for passenger-only fares. I understand that the incentives are different, given that overloads for foot passengers are rare and only happen during particular seasons. However, I think that BCF should be incentivizing foot passenger travel, given the contribution it would make in reducing emissions, and also congestion on cities like Victoria and Nanaimo, among others. I've commented on here before about the lack of cohesive transit connections at terminals for foot passengers. I believe that, once again, we should be looking at WSF as an example for how this is done. In the Puget Sound area, the ORCA (One Regional Card for All) card is accepted on both a variety of Puget Sound transit systems and on WSF. TransLink's Compass program presents a great opportunity to explore this in BC, both on the ferries and on the regional transit systems around the South Coast (in particular Victoria, Nanaimo, Comox, Powell River, and Sunshine Coast, among others). I think that having a cohesive fare structure and singular payment method that includes discounts (targeting Experience Card users here) would be a real net benefit to converting a lot of that peak period overcrowding into foot passenger traffic. This of course must include high-quality, usable transit connections at either end - looking at you, Duke Point.
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Post by Mike C on Feb 1, 2021 8:58:17 GMT -8
BCFerries updated their website and said that the vessel replacement program is pushed back at least 5 years, and also that they don’t have designs for the new vessels yet. This program was barely into its infancy before COVID hit, I think with how hard BC Ferries got hit it will likely be longer. These up coming summers will definitely play a major factor into how long it will take until a contract is signed for these vessels. In the mean time I think the New West, Cowichan and Coquitlam are in good enough shape so that we don’t run into any major issues like what the Queen of Nanaimo ran into with her retirement! No surprise that Covid has delayed renewing the fleet, although I thought I had read that an injection of federal money was meant to keep things somewhat on track. Maybe I got that wrong. In any event, it's a good thing that BC Ferries has a decent reputation for maintaining the essential functioning of their vessels, even if the aesthetics sometimes seem a bit neglected. Still... it's hard to overcome the basic conflict between salt water and steel, and a 45 or 50 year old coastal ferry is at the margins of its useful life in other ways as well. In terms of increasing capacity in the form of new major vessels, we don't know how things will play out in what will hopefully be a post-Covid travel environment not too far from now. Will there be an explosion of traffic, or will people have permanently altered their travel habits? Maybe the existing ferries will be sufficient for several years. Time will tell. I’m not the least bit surprised either. But - what is the record for longest serving / oldest ship in BCF’s fleet? I’d imagine the New West will be pushing that, given this revised timeline pushes her service life to about 65 years old. Also interesting that if BCF decides to go with the Coastal-class design, they will be building new ships based on a 20 year old blueprint.
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Post by Mike C on Jan 12, 2021 11:53:35 GMT -8
Just so everyone is up to speed here - we've reached out to the member and let him know that this is not acceptable and to correct this immediately. We as mods do our best to patrol for stolen content, however we can't always catch everything.
I would encourage everyone to:
- Watch for content of yours that has been stolen (pay extra-close attention to repeat offenders); - Bring every instance of it to our attention (posted to the forum or not, it is still good for us to be aware that it is occurring and take corrective action if needed); and - Report stolen content on other social media platforms to Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Thanks.
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Post by Mike C on Jan 4, 2021 16:55:02 GMT -8
Took a little road trip this morning and drove up to Mukilteo via Edmonds-Kingston, and grabbed some photos of the new terminal. It's really nice. Thanks for the photo-essay. Something that WSF has done very well (and BC seems to be lacking in, with the odd exception of Prince Rupert-Fairview) is the integration of different modes into a single terminal. Several of WSF's terminals are also served by a commuter rail station, intercity rail station, transit exchange, or occasionally all three. And not only that, the terminals themselves are often aesthetically pleasing structures with interesting architectural features. BC Ferries, by contrast, often constructs standalone facilities with space for a transit stop, but rarely more than that. Understanding that the context of Puget Sound is indeed different and that the terminals are situated in more urban areas, it would be nice to see BCFS do more transportation integration in their terminal builds that are located in-community (such as in Powell River, Campbell River, Nanaimo, etc).
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Post by Mike C on Oct 24, 2020 13:41:53 GMT -8
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Post by Mike C on Oct 24, 2020 13:39:40 GMT -8
(suggestion: might this thread be better placed in the 'ex BC Ferries ships' section? That's where I looked first.) I think this thread was originally moved here with the intent that it would be used as, well, a ferry, but that seems less likely now, so it’ll be moved. Thanks for the flag.
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