BC Ferries:
I wish to make a comment regarding the proposed trial change to passenger loading procedures in Langdale.
As a foot passenger, I arrive early, get my ticket and watch the ferry arrive. While I wait to board, I get to inhale all the exhaust from the vehicles that are unloading, but at least I board the ferry quickly and am safely upstairs before the vehicles begin to load onto the lower deck. Now, with your proposed changes, I must wait longer and will be forced to inhale the additional exhaust from the vehicles that are loading.
Then I must walk through all the parked cars (which can be a challenge in the case of an overload situation) and try to wend my way safely up the stairs to the passenger deck. I can’t even imagine how this will affect those on bicycles.
Why are you trying this? What are the stats that show how much time the ferry loses by loading a few late passengers on after all the cars have been loaded? Will that really help the ferry meet its “on time” goal and not consistently run nearly a half hour late so often?
Your stated purpose in cutting off cars entering the gates 10 minutes before sailing is to save time and prevent stragglers from slowing down the loading process. Perhaps you should consider the same rule for foot passengers and then those who are there on time will not have to inhale all that extra exhaust.
Or perhaps you will consider distributing breathing protection for those of us who do not find breathing exhaust helpful to our health.
Or perhaps you could negotiate with the buses to make sure their passengers are able to arrive on time.
Or perhaps, as a last resort, you could return to hourly ferries and avoid this unnecessary complication. You know that it worked well and that almost everyone found the experience of travelling the ferries much less stressful and certainly more time efficient for all of us.
Helen Halet, Roberts Creek
