The long-awaited public float near the Langdale ferry terminal will be installed starting next week.
According to a news release from BC Ferries, during the installation of the public float, access to BC Ferries' float will be restricted to the MV Stormaway only, which provides water taxi service to Gambier and Keats islands. Private boaters will not be permitted to access the BC Ferries' float from Jan. 9 to 22.
For many years the public has had access to the Stormaway float to drop off and pick up passengers from the Langdale terminal. The company has had long-standing safety and security concerns about this arrangement and is addressing the issue by installing a new float for use by the public.
BC Ferries and the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) are in the final stages of negotiating a licence agreement with a 20-year term and a renewal option for a further 10 years pursuant to which the SCRD pays an annual licence fee and, in return, is granted the right to use and access the float.
A security gate separating the public float from the Stormaway float will be open during operational hours at the Langdale terminal. This gate, along with the shoreside gate linking the passenger gangway to the shore, will be closed prior to and following the departure of the Langdale to Horseshoe Bay ferry. The gate will be closed after hours, as well as in the event Transport Canada increases the Marine Security (MARSEC) level. However, emergency access can be facilitated through British Columbia Ambulance Service.
"BC Ferries has been working with the Sunshine Coast Regional District, the Gambier-Keats Ferry Advisory Committee and other community groups for several years now regarding the float, and I'm pleased we are nearing a final resolution that will work for everyone," said Rob Clarke, BC Ferries' EVP and CFO. "After many months, it will be good to have this issue behind us."
Installation of the new float is not expected to impact the schedules of the Langdale to Horseshoe Bay ferry and the Gambier/Keats water taxi. The new float is expected to open to the public on Jan. 23. When the new float opens, boaters are reminded to use caution while accessing the terminal and to steer clear of the ferries and the water taxi.
-Submitted
