Quote:
Originally Posted by John Martin
Just a thought: Utah Lake is huge. Even at 20 knots, it would take about 40 minutes for a ferry to cross the lake from the proposed start and end points. It would be 10 minutes shorter to drive between the same points. And I think 20 knots is being incredibly generous, considering how shallow the lake is. To have speed like that, you'd need big boats, which would be very costly and probably wouldn't fit in the lake to begin with. Even if it were dredged, the frequency would be terrible under the best of circumstances. Would people be willing to wait up to 40 minutes (or much more) for a ferry that takes an additional 40 minutes to cross the lake? And would they be willing to pay the high price as well? I don't think so.
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People will use it if its the only option they have. Which is faster driving around the lake or taking a ferry? you talk about a bridge being faster than taking a boat, but the bridge is not even built yet so people are not even used to the idea of cars being faster. I am sure both would be faster then driving around it and that's what people want. I say dredge the lake put in ferries and connect buses to each loading dock to take those that don't want to pay the extra cost to ride in there cars. Make it part of the UTA system.
I believe its would be closer to 30 min for a ferry as the one I have been on is about a 15 mile trip and took 75-80 minutes to go from one location to the next. Just think of all that you can do while you are not driving. These boats could have WiFi and you could be doing your homework, Facebook, Youtube or business while waiting to cross.
You say it would be costly for the boats required. How much is this bridge going to cost? 100million +? I think preserving the beauty of the lake with boats is worth the cost it would to add a ferry system.
I served my LDS mission in Canada and spent a few times riding on the ferries from Nova Scotia to Prince Edward Island(PEI). The ferries had restaurant's and sometimes shops in them. There are ways to recoup the cost of the boats other than the price you pay to get on.
With a boat you wont have to pull over at a pullout zone to take in the view of the lake and surrounding area.
Another question is to ask do we really want a bridge running down the middle of Utah Lake? Personally I think it would detract from the lake and I don't like the idea.
Sometimes we need to take life slow and enjoy the ride.