Show and tell your city's ferries

[Steely Dan]

^ the yellow water taxis really "pop" against that green st. paddy's day water.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Anderson Ferry west of Cincinnati, for when you don't want to deal with traffic on the Brent Spence or 275 while trying to get to CVG...


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...Ferry-2007.jpg

[bnk]

That's more than just a barge and tug boat. But if it works than ...


How often are the runs and stops and how many stations are served by that network?

[Cirrus]

^
Oh that reminds me of another one in the DC area: White's Ferry, an even clunkier barge between far upstream MD & VA exurbs. It's just a slab with a motor on the side, connected to a cable that's anchored on either shore of the Potomac. Runs back and forth all day, every 15 minutes or so. Once every year or two it gets stuck on river debris, or the cable snaps. Nobody ever gets hurt.


Tom Donohue on Flickr

[JManc]

Originally Posted by llamaorama

What, no lynchburg ferry?

Still not exactly city of Houston, but almost

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynchburg_Ferry

Forgot about that one.

[202_Cyclist]

Urban Turf had a good post a few months ago examining what an expanded water transportation system would look like for the Washington, DC, region.


Image courtesy of Urban Turf.

There are many destinations that could be served by water taxis or ferries in the DC region, including:

*Reagan airport
*Rosslyn
*Georgetown
*Kennedy Center/the Mall
*Wharf/Southwest Waterfront
*Capitol Riverfront/Nationals stadium
*Buzzard Point
*Alexandria
*National Harbor
*Joint Base Bolling.

Several of these locations are not conveniently served by metro-rail and expanded water taxi service would enhance mobility. Much like New York, however, such service should be subsidized, just as we subsidize transit, so that ferries/water taxis aren't a novelty ride but a serious commuting option.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/03/n...ferry-nyc.html

[mrnyc]

my favorite is the little tex-mex los ebanos ferry.
it holds three cars and twelve people.
you have to pull the rope.
then you have a little bit of a drive to ordaz.
don't tell my rental car company.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Originally Posted by bnk

That's more than just a barge and tug boat. But if it works than ...


How often are the runs and stops and how many stations are served by that network?

It crosses state lines!

[Innsertnamehere]

Toronto also has lots of little water taxis in the summer. These are privately run with little pontoon boats, largely between the islands and various points along the shoreline in the city. They are supposedly much faster than the main ferry, but typically cost about $10 each way, instead of $7 on the city ferry. Oh, and you need a minimum of 3 people, or $30 for them to run across the bay for you. They are good for groups, or if you are coming from a part of the waterfront that is significantly far from the main ferry terminal.
https://www.blogto.com/city/2016/08/...the_west_side/

[10023]

How does the Chicago water taxi work? I’ve actually never taken it. Can you just hop on using a Ventra card or does it need to be booked in advance?

Agree on the yellow ones being superior, at least in America where everyone associates yellow with taxis (or school buses). Though oddly, not in Chicago where different taxi companies all have different livery colors.

In London, it’s called the Thames river bus, which when you think about it is a much more accurate description than water taxi. It’s bigger and runs along a set route. There are 21 stops between Putney and Woolwich Arsenal.








And yes, they should get ones with an upper and lower deck and paint them all red.

[Centropolis]

the cincinnati ferries remind me of the dwindling mississippi river ferries around st. louis





the above ferry connects metro st. louis with calhoun county, illinois (famous for its produce/peaches) which has NO bridges across the mississippi or illinois river to metro st. louis and is an isolated peninsula. ..i think it's the least populated county in illinois...yet as the crow flies the tip of the county is a mere 12 miles from the airport.

there's also the grafton ferry a bit down river:

galenf.com


media.connerctingstlouis.com

pmlodge.net

[Centropolis]

dinky, but counts.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

^
Oh that reminds me of another one in the DC area: White's Ferry, an even clunkier barge between far upstream MD & VA exurbs. It's just a slab with a motor on the side, connected to a cable that's anchored on either shore of the Potomac. Runs back and forth all day, every 15 minutes or so. Once every year or two it gets stuck on river debris, or the cable snaps. Nobody ever gets hurt.

speaking of dinky ferries...ozark river ferries south of st. louis are like this but worse...i think the national park system maintains some of these, now. they have an electric motor on a cable so they are reliable in that sense, but then large floods tend to swamp the boat.


currentrivercanoe.com

squarespace.com

[202_Cyclist]

I grew up in Newport Beach, CA, where there is the Balboa Island ferry that takes pedestrians and cars a couple hundred yards across Newport Harbor from Balboa Island to Balboa Peninsula.


Image courtesy of Don Barrett on Flickr.

[202_Cyclist]

D.C. might be large enough to support commuter ferries, says study


By Julia Airey
The Washington Times
Monday, June 4, 2018

"The greater D.C. region’s dream of a marine highway may be one step closer, thanks to a study that finds there may be a big enough market for commuter ferries.

The Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) presented new evidence Monday in support of a “fast ferry” service between Woodbridge and the District, citing a sizable number of riders who live nearby potential ferry locations.

“One of the questions that’s been asked is, ‘If we build it, will they come?’” said Tim Payne, head of the Seattle-based firm Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, which conducted the study..."

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news...ommuter-ferri/

[202_Cyclist]

Alexandria company adds four water taxis to meet summer demand

Washington Business Journal
By Katie Arcieri
June 5, 2018

https://www.bizjournals.com/washingt...t.html?ana=twt

[Steely Dan]

Chicago Water Taxi news:

Water taxi service may expand for new riverfront developments



A Wendella water taxi Thursday, July 5, 2018 on the Chicago River. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)


Mary Wisniewski


These bright yellow or white boats cruise around the “Y” of the Chicago River, carrying commuters and tourists between the Metra stations and other downtown and near-downtown stops as far south as Chinatown and as far north as North Avenue. They are quicker than buses during rush hour and infinitely more pleasant — a way to get the wind in your hair and see riverside architecture for around $2 a ride.

Planned development along the river has led to talks between Chicago Water Taxi, part of Wendella Sightseeing, and builders about adding new stops north and south of downtown, starting in the next two to three years.

“We think it’s a no-brainer to add a couple more and make it an amenity for the thousands of residents and employees we’re going to have at Goose Island,” said Zack Cupkovic, director of special projects for R2 Cos., which owns about 10 percent of Goose Island as well as the Morton Salt property. The developer plans office space, bars and restaurants and entertainment for the sites.

full article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/c...11-story.html#




the basic gist is that as more and more land along the north and south branches of the river is rezoned from industrial to mixed-use, chicago water taxi plans to keep extending their service area to serve the residents and workers of the new large mixed-use redevelopments underway and planned for the chicago river. the first two new planned stops will be on the south branch for the riverline development and further south for "the 78" development. the two new stops will bring the total number stops on the system to 9. they also plan on acquiring a fifth boat next year, and all new boats acquired are planned to be fully climate controlled so that they can run as close to year round as ice on the river allows. currently, only one of the 4 boats in their fleet is climate-controlled.

all in all, it sounds like chicago water taxi is making serious plans to become an ever more serious link in chicago's public transportation system.

[jmecklenborg]

The Anderson Ferry is within the I-275 loop. So there is a free bridge about five miles away in either direction. The ferry has survived as a viable business because somehow Cincinnati's airport ended getting built in Kentucky. So the ferry is a direct link for airport workers. The reason why a bridge has never been built here is because the steep approach roads on either side would have to be replaced with some big-time engineering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmWnZXhXwaI


The ferry is just half of the fun..after you cross into Kentucky, you get to climb up something that resembles an Appalachian mountain with switchbacks:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0735...7i13312!8i6656

Anyone reading this who visits Cincinnati should put the ferry on their itinerary. It's a pretty interesting land-that-time-forgot sort of thing. Also, drive out in KY 8 until it dead-ends. It's a idyllic riverside country road, again entirely within the 275 loop.

Do a 360 on this streetview...this is the KY 8 dead-end.
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1155...7i13312!8i6656

[SIGSEGV]

Too bad the Chicago Water Taxi can't operate in winter... I guess it could if they used hovercraft. The river might be the fastest way between Union / Ogilvie stations and the 78 or Lincoln Yards.