According to the First Quarter Results published by BC Ferries on August 14, passenger traffic levels are the highest they’ve been in 20 years, and vehicle traffic is up 4.4% from last year. On Route 8, between Bowen Island and Snug Cove, vehicle traffic is up 6.04% from last year and passenger traffic up 7.43% from last year. Susanna Braund, chair of Bowen Island’s Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) says that this summer’s delays on the Bowen route can be attributed to ferry traffic coming and going from Horseshoe Bay as opposed to increased passenger and vehicle traffic, and she is feeling optimistic that a new ferry schedule will help lessen delays.
“Horseshoe Bay was not designed to have as much traffic as there currently is,” says Braund. “There are currently 32 dockings every day, and half of those dockings are from Bowen. This is the rationale for wanting to change the schedule for Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast.”
From May until July, BC Ferries ran a six week public engagement program on these ferry schedules that included an online survey.
“More than 600 people from Bowen completed the online survey,” says Braund. “I don’t think the schedule BC Ferries comes up with will be negotiable, but I think islanders will be relatively happy with the result.”
According to a recent BC Ferries press release on the recent public engagement, the top scheduling priorities for Bowen Island are maintaining school and work commute times (especially the 7:30 a.m., the 3:30 p.m. and ideally 5:30 p.m. sailings, if possible) and adding a later last sailing out of Horseshoe Bay and additional weekend sailings.
Braund says that at last week’s BC Ferries AGM, the chairs of the various FACs had the opportunity to hear from BC Ferries Commissioner Gord Macatee, the new Minister of Transportation, Claire Trevena, and the new CEO of BC Ferries, Mark Collins.
“Collins talked about how the positive feedback BC Ferries received when they introduced an hourly sailing using smaller boats to Langdale, and committed to fulfilling that need within five years,” says Braund. “Our fate here on Route 8 is so tied to Langdale. I am encouraged by the new CEO’s responsiveness, and also hopeful that the new spread schedule will minimize the number of cross-ferry holdings.”
