Editor:
It is my belief that walk-on passengers are a secondary consideration to B.C. Ferries. To back this claim, here is a sampling of the corporations' "body language."
The maximized walking distances at Langdale from the car and bus drop off to the ferry, the inconvenient gaps in overhead protection so that foot passengers experience all the environmental excesses, likewise exposure to the elements at Horseshoe Bay awaits the unfortunate at the 257 express bus stop, the passenger drop off and the taxi stand, B.C. Ferries gladly accepts your money for bicycles, but provides nothing in return.
In truth, the walk-on experience may not be all that pleasurable.
Physically challenged? Best take the car. Now contrast this to the BC Transit sea bus experience. I have always enjoyed the much-awarded sea bus. I have always wondered why it is an orphan. A sea bus experience from Gibsons to downtown Vancouver would seem like the logical alternative. No Horseshoe Bay, no 257 bus, no Lion's Gate Bridge congestion (and future tolls) and no B.C. Ferries "body language."
A passenger-only service will cannibalize existing revenue for the ferry route. A great passenger-only service will cannibalize revenues a lot. For these reasons, why would B.C. Ferries need to, or want to, move forward with a passenger-only ferry? How about BC Transit? And how about downtown Vancouver?
Joe Vechter
Halfmoon Bay
