New Ferry Routes

[Curtis]

Anyone got any good ideas for new BC Ferry route.
Id like to see a route going from Powell River to Cortes Island

[Ian]

? maybe Langdale-Departure Bay with a medium sized ferry.

[Doug]

Service to downtown Nanaimo and Victoria from Vancouver Airport is planned.

[Koastal Karl]

Yeah I also thought of Powell River to Cortez and also Departure Bay to Langdale. What about Swartz Bay to Horseshoe Bay instead of having to go through Vancouver if you are heading up that way. Be a lot longer crossing though. Departure Bay to Bowen Island?? Get rid of Fulford and Long Harbour and make a bigger terminal somewhere on that side of Saltspring.

[Low Light Mike]

Re Powell River to Cortez: I agree that from a geographic point of view, this makes sense. Maybe even from Lund to Cortes, which must be pretty close.

Financially though, who is going to pay for this? I'd bet this route would require a heavy subsidy for operations alone, not even counting the capital costs for terminals & other infrastructure. Do we really need another fund-sucking route as part of BC Ferries?

Obviously, as ferry fanatics and as residents of the coast, new routes are interesting, appealing, and desired.

But, realistically I can't see it happening. If it made good financial sense, then a private sector (oops, I can't say that anymore, because BC Ferries is technically private sector instructure - but not in economics.....but I digress)......some private operator would already be doing that route, if there was money to be made.

But there's always local economic spin-offs....but how many more beers would the Lund Hotel have to sell, to generate enough taxes to subsidize the Province's costs for that new Cortes run?

But if we're dreaming.....then I'd love to see a Nanoose to Sechelt run.....just for fun.

[Balfour]

I would like to see a Horseshoe Bay- Swartz Bay route, it would save a lot of time for us North Shore residents. It would mean not having to sit in downtown traffic, or not having to drive down the island from Nanaimo (especially if you only want to make a day trip to Victoria), but if you plan to stay in Victoria for a few days, the drive down the malahat highway is a nice one.

[Curtis]

Horseshoe Bay Swartz Bay Horseshoe Bay is occupied 3 Routes 3 Berths.
Swartz Bay kinda full at the moment if they built a new terminal somewhere close to Horseshoe Bay they could call it the end island express.

Sunshine Coast to Nanaimo. who knows Langdale to Departure Bay possible no money but Langdales 2nd berth should get work done on it so it it can access a second car deck or whatever.

Cortez to Lund (PR). probably build a ferry like the Kwana to access lunds boat launch or a car accessable dock in the area.

[NMcKay]

If your talking about the "Kwuna" then you should realise that they would not have to build another boats, but modify the Klatawa and/or kulleet because both those ships are coming into the open market soon, and they cam be modified for about 750,000$

[kylefossett]

a new terminal on saltspring was an idea at one time. the plan would of closed down long harbour and fulford. the talk at the time was that the new terminal would be at isabella point. for anybody who doesn't know saltspring this is the point pretty much at the end of fulford harbour on the port side of the ferry as you enter the harbor. the idea would be good because it would cut off about 10 minutes from the fulford-swartz bay run. the locals that live out isabella point would fight it though as saltspring is really big in the NIMBY especially the south enders


langdale to departure bay. is there really enough of a demand for that route.

swartz bay to horeshoe bay. again is the demand from the people on the northshore really there. i know a few people who commute to saltspring a couple times each summer from north van and they are fine with going to tsawwassen or even horeshoe bay-departure bay and driving down the island

[Curtis]

how bout put a terminal in the center area of saltspring or saltspring could vote on which terminal to keep

[royal Caribbean not loged on]

If they put the terminal at isabella point on salt spring the trip from tswassen would be very very long.
Horseshoe bay to swartz bay, no way, to long, not neccessary, pain in the as*, even my idea to have a langdale departure bay is a bad idea.

[kylefossett]

if you were to combine the ssi ferry terminals. i think looking at the ssi map in front of me that isabella point would be the best place. easiest access for a ferry dock. the crossing time on a straight thru run from the mainland to isabella point would be roughly the same as the travel time on route 1. i doubt that anyone living in fulford would want to expand that terminal and the same goes for people along long harbour road. also both terminals are pretty much taking up all the area they can now.






www.saveourferries.com

[Ferryman]

I know there is going to be a terminal put in at Squamish to go to Vancouver as a little shortcut like the Mill Bay-Brentwood Bay route for the 2010 olympics but im pretty sure its not gonna be with BCF though but its supposed to be with a company like Harbourlynx but im really not sure. Hey Harbourlynx Kid do you got any ideas?

[NMcKay]

Harbourlynx may become part of the bid process to run ships to the whistler olympics. because i doubt BC ferries could handle the time constrants that Harbourlynx car provide. i even think MV Harbourlynx, and when she (is decided upon) arrives, the MV HarbourLinks. they will end up being the ships that The IOC chooses to show the world.

[Ferryman]

Hey how bout a route that isnt a commuter route but a cruise route that starts a Tswwassen and goes around Vancouver Island and comes back to Tswwassen again using Queen of the North

[BrianWilliams]

Ahh .. if I had my 'druthers there will be ferries linking every coastal town. Not fast, maybe, but frequent enough to be useful.

Several earlier posts proposed Horseshoe Bay as a mid-Island terminal.

BCF tried to reduce HB's traffic, starting in the early 1980's. That was re-inforced by the opening of Duke Point .. what is missing is the Iona Island terminal in Richmond. (Iona Island is a sandbar at the NW tip of Sea Island).

Iona was a favourite of past NDP and Socred governments. Unfortunately for ferries, the vast expansion of Vancouver Airport has made an Iona teminal unworkable. Today's road congestion around YVR is bad enough; a ferry terminal would be -- umm, terminal.

If we ever build the "Gateway" project, which envisions a South Fraser perimeter road on the route of River Road; then a ferry terminal at historic Port Guichon (west of Ladner) may be the answer for heavy traffic to the Island.

I don't wish disruption and noise on the Delta people; but Horseshoe Bay has had enough. Confined by geography, HB is a terrible place for even more vehicle traffic.

We have other options, too: Passenger-only ferries like Harbourlynx; and rail-truck barges for commercial freight. Both services exist now and should be encouraged.

[BrianWilliams]

Iona Island may have been the best place for the Fast Cats' operation .. too bad we built the boats before we had a place to run 'em.

So, I suggest Port Guichon-Duke Point as the ideal route for these excellent boats.

On a smaller scale: I'd like to see BCF run a triangle route from Squirrel Cove (Cortes Island) to Refuge Cove on West Redonda and Lund. There are no roads on the Redonda Islands; but for very patient folks, this would close the highway loop from the end of Hwy 101 to Campbell River.

Let's do it.

[Koastal Karl]

Why would BC Ferries operate a route to an island that has no roads??? If that's what you meant.

[BrianWilliams]

Refuge Cove might be an easy stop for a Squirrel Cove-Lund route; passengers only there, of course. Maybe just a couple of stops per day.

Yes, it's impractical .. given that Refuge Cove's little red dock would have to be extended to accept even a small BC Ferry.

Still, it's part of my dream that all BC coastal towns should be on the ferry network.

Refuge Cove does have an active and efficient water taxi; and everyone over the age of 9 is adept in handling small boats (lucky kids!).

[Dane]

Horshoe Bay to Swartz Bay. NOW.

[ProudCanuck1644]

Langdale to Departure Bay... good idea, but I could only see 1... maybe two round trips a day. Maybe an addition round trip in the summer.

I think this would best be served as a supplemental trip from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale then round trip from Langdale to Departure Bay followed by a supplemental trip to Horseshoe Bay.

Ideally one of the smaller ships, like the Nanaimo or Burnaby would be good for this as I cannot see large demand for this route.

[johnhbc]

This is a bit off topic... how about high-speed passenger service between Kelowna and Penticton?

[Koastal Karl]

You know what? I was thinking the same thing this summer on our way back we stopped in Kelowna for a night. Why not have a ferry service from Kelowna to Penticton as an alternate to the highway. Load up the fast cats and send them up to Okanagan Lake. Dont know how on earth they would get them up there though, maybe have to dissassemble them if that was any way possible. That would probably be a neat cruise if that was to ever happen. I had thought of that while we were sitting in traffic during construction just outside Kelowna on the highway between Kelowna and Penticton. Would be neat!

[Koastal Karl]

by the way were you talking about just a passenger service or a car/passenger service?

[NMcKay]

high speed pass. and that might be a thing to investigate. the fast cats DO have the ability to be SLiced. just like most ferries, and put on trucks. but the expese would be ridiculus. insted. get 2 Heavy Lift Helicopter Cranes. and just pick the thing up and fly it there