Lovely Ferry Service
We had the great displeasure of taking two trips with BC Ferries this weekend.
On Friday, we travelled on one of the big, new ships from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay. On Sunday, we returned on a much smaller, older boat.
Dare I list the insults and discomforts?
How about $93 each way for a small car. That's because I made reservations ($15) and then changed the route ($9), albeit with two weeks notice. How much of an inconvenience was that to an electronic service, and why should I pay another $9?
The return trip ran 20 minutes late, which meant little to us, but the lady sitting next to me had to catch a bus which she was sure to miss.
The boat was one usually used for Gulf Islands service, which means that it was way too small and sardine-packed.
As long as we're raising prices every twelve minutes, maybe we could think about running more boats, more often and bigger.
Isn't it convenient for a government to make these basic services arms-length corporations run by former Americans?
Oh, I'm getting old.
I asked that same question last week.
Oh.
6 comments:
I actually think BC Ferries is MUCH better run now than in the old days. And it's still heavily subsidized by our taxes. With that said, no one wants to pay the ever increasing costs of it.
With the rampant increase in oil prices - and they're certain to only go up over time - it's long overdue to revisit Pat McGeer's hypothesis that a bridge should be built.
Well, I agree that the cost of taking a vehicle on a BC Ferry is getting crazy. One way I've worked around it is to go as a walk-on passenger then get picked up on the other side. This isn't always possible, but is a workaround for some.
But as bad as the BC ferry system seems to be at times, I understand the Washington State ferry system is in truly horrendous shape, suffering from serious long-term neglect. My parents know some people who must use that system to get off and back onto an island (much like Gulf Islands residents). The ferry on one route broke down and taken out of service indefinitely, forcing them to drive considerably farther to reach the ferry on another route. Apparently this is not an uncommon story. If true, comparatively speaking, we seem to have it pretty good here.
Craig Y.
Notes on Washington State Ferry's.
1) Some 'hulls' on W.S.F.'s date from the 1920's.
2) With few exceptions, W.S.F.'s act as commuter runs, with people living off the mainland and demand a 'cheap' ferry service to go to work.
A bridge across the Straights of Georgia are a pipe-dream, a fantasy by Dr. Pat McGeer that has seen way to much air time.
A regular bridge would cost at least $15 billion to $20 billion (by comparison RAV costs $2.5 billion) and a floating bridge would be destroyed in the first winter storm.
The only place where a bridge could be built is near Knight Inlet, where the straights narrows. The CPR even surveyed the route.
I would love to learn the Engineering credentials of the last Anonymous writer. Reminds me of how after 9/11 every 2nd kook became an expert Metallurgical Engineer. I'm sure the same people would be more than willing to give you "expert" advice on heart medication, David. Sigh.
A 2002 report by the Province on a fixed link to the island put the cost of a bridge at $8 to $12 billion and a one way toll at $260-$800.
Considering the rising cost of construction since 2002, $15 to $20billion would be appropriate for these days.
How lucky you are to have a car, have $93 for travel, plus have a home, family, friends, a job and all those good things you wrote about recently. Count your blessings. You were in a better frame on mind in Scotland. Count your blessings. Help the less fortunate.
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