‘There is a need’: Passenger ferry proposed between Vancouver, Gibsons and Bowen Island

Travellers could find themselves whisked from downtown to Vancouver to Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast wrong 2 years, nether a caller connection for an electrical ferry line.

The projected Greenline ferry service, announced connected Friday, would transportation ft passengers from the Harbour Green dock successful Coal Harbour to Bowen successful 40 minutes and to the Sunshine Coast successful 70 minutes.

“We spot determination is simply a need. It is indispensable to bring caller modes of transportation… for efficiency, resiliency,” said Greenline laminitis and CEO Callum Campbell.

“If Vancouver wants to vie successful the world, we request to link to our coastal communities overmuch better.”

Campbell said the institution has already sourced the estimated $60 cardinal successful financing required to acquisition 2 electrical rider ferries and the 3 charging stations the work would require.

Now the work needs the greenish airy from the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Park Board, which operates the Harbour Green Dock.

Vancouver metropolis councillor Rebecca Bligh was bullish connected the project, which she said would transportation astir 1,000 passengers a day, eliminating 500 car trips and slashing the c emissions equivalent to astir eight-million kilometres of driving per year.

The numbers bespeak the increasing integration of the South Coast region, Bligh said.

“In caller years Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast person welcomed galore caller residents driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of hybrid work,” she continued.

“Many proceed to marque regular visits to Vancouver, to work, to sojourn friends and household oregon conscionable to visit.”

Hosting the Vancouver terminus astatine the Harbour Green Dock volition make an estimated $1 cardinal successful yearly gross for the parkland board, a payment successful enactment with the city’s existent thrust to grow its non-tax gross sources.

Park commissioner Brennan Bastyovanszky said the dock successful its existent signifier is already insufficient to service leisure needs and would request to beryllium upgraded to big the ferry.

Working retired the scope of indispensable upgrades is portion of the enactment the upcoming question to the parkland committee would inquire of staff.

“The archetypal visitant of this waterfront ever included tiny commuter ferries and contiguous that imaginativeness remains much applicable than ever,” Bastyovanszky added.

“(The) parkland committee is taking an progressive relation successful exploring however this nationalist plus tin enactment sustainable low-carbon proscription portion maintaining its recreational value.”

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The mayors of some Bowen Island and Gibsons are backing the project, which they accidental would beryllium a boon to some locals and to visitors.

Bowen Mayor Andrew Leonard pointed to the multi-day ferry work outage that deed his assemblage this week arsenic an illustration of the request to diversify options.

“Ferry work is our transportation to work, our transportation to wellness care, our transportation to schools and everything successful between,” Leonard said.

“Investment successful caller marine connections to Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast is agelong overdue.”

Gibsons Mayor Silas White, meanwhile, acknowledged determination was inactive enactment to beryllium done to amended proscription options connected the Sunshine Coast for the car-free passengers the work would deliver.

“We’re moving connected it,” helium said. “Working up to 2027, this is wherever we tin truly prosecute the state successful immoderate assistance arsenic good to amended BC Transit services.”

The connection for the caller ferry work comes 18 months aft the motorboat of the Hullo ferry, which appears to person recovered a profitable concern exemplary carrying ft passengers betwixt downtown Vancouver and Nanaimo.

Greenline says each ferry would person a capableness of up to 150 passengers, but its modelling assumes astir 75 boardings per trip.

The institution says it is moving with First Nations and each 3 levels of authorities and believes that with each indispensable approvals, the ferries could beryllium moving wrong 2 years.

Ferry-related motions are headed to some Vancouver metropolis assembly and the Vancouver Park Board aboriginal this month.