Proposed Gibsons-Vancouver passenger ferry?

[Nutterbug]

http://coastallinkferries.com/

What do you make of this proposed service? Is there background info on it or any credibility to this site? Little planning detail is given in it, and there's no other information on it found through a Google search other than the link itself and the West Coast Ferries board discussing it.

[MistyMountainHop]

Would be a great service to have.

[deasine]

Maybe they should use the future Passenger Ferry Terminal at Waterfront Station =D

The company needs a new website... it looks like a kid's drawing. But other than that, I could see the demand. Especially during the summer season.

[excel]

Sounds pretty good. any info on what kind of ferry will be used?

[Captain]

I heard that Coastal Link Ferries are starting a run from hopkins landing to Vancouver in december. 65 minutes to downtown! Anyone else hear anything?

[Chikinlittle]

Originally Posted by deasine

Maybe they should use the future Passenger Ferry Terminal at Waterfront Station =D

The company needs a new website... it looks like a kid's drawing. But other than that, I could see the demand. Especially during the summer season.

Translink will not allow them to use Waterfront, just as they don't permit the Bowen-Vancouver run to use it, which is unfortunate. They use the public dock at the foot of Bute Street. The approved Ambleside-Vancouver route will also use this dock. And from my understanding, the City of Vancouver has given the company permission to construct their own facility at the foot of Bute, but will continue to use the public dock indefinitely until the company wants to invest in such construction.

I wonder why they allowed the former Nanaimo-Vancouver run to use the SeaBus terminal, but not CoastalLink?

[dmuzika]

This might be slightly off topic, but have there ever been any discussions about a fixed link between Gibsons/Sunshine Coast and Vancouver?

[johnjimbc]

I've wondered about a land link myself. I suppose it has something to do with cost and with first nations land rights, but I was really surprised when I first moved here and realized that ferry or seaplane was the only option to reaching the sunshine coast.

Has there ever been any consideration of a land or bridge route?

[Rusty Gull]

There's been talk for years about a legitimate land link that would utilize the hydro/logging road that exists between the Squamish and Gibsons areas. But the reality is that it would be more convenient just to use BC Ferries.
You can probably see something on GoogleMaps in terms of the current road that exists (which requires a 4X4 vehicle)

[Rusty Gull]

Originally Posted by Chikinlittle

Translink will not allow them to use Waterfront, just as they don't permit the Bowen-Vancouver run to use it, which is unfortunate. They use the public dock at the foot of Bute Street. The approved Ambleside-Vancouver route will also use this dock. And from my understanding, the City of Vancouver has given the company permission to construct their own facility at the foot of Bute, but will continue to use the public dock indefinitely until the company wants to invest in such construction.

I wonder why they allowed the former Nanaimo-Vancouver run to use the SeaBus terminal, but not CoastalLink?

I believe TransLink rents that dock to a whale watching boat operation. Coastal Link has tried to secure that dock, but have been rejected repeatedly by TransLink.

[Millennium2002]

There is the possibility of building bridges across but expect heavy opposition from residents. It can also pose some engineering challenges as the water may quite deep (which makes it hard to build foundations) and there will be lots of modification required to connect the two ends (which may include rebuilding the Eagleridge interchange a second time).

[jlousa]

The current path that exists isn't even able to be travelled by 4*4 at least not anymore, I looked into it. You need dirtbikes and a skilled team to make the trek, what you can't see just by looking at googlemaps is there is a lot of altitude change along the path, also the bridge used during construction of the hydro lines is no longer there. Still hope to make that trip oneday.

[Rusty Gull]

This is from a 2006 article in the Sechelt Coast Reporter...

CNI talks of broad plans for development
SCRD MEETING
By Christine Wood/Staff Writer

CEO for Columbia National Investments (CNI) Steve Dunton
was before the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD)
planning committee last Thursday to talk about his plans for the
3,286 acres CNI has acquired near Sechelt and the Port Mellon
area.....

Another highway plan of CNI is to build a road between the
Sunshine Coast and Squamish, though directors weren’t so
pleased with that idea.
“I am somewhat bemused that you want to drive a road through
to Squamish. A full ferry burns a lot less gas than a number of
cars travelling via Squamish, and there is also the safety factor
of bringing in those cars,” director Lorne Lewis said, noting
perhaps another ferry would be a better answer.
“That very well may be the answer, but 24 hour access is good
at times,” Dunton said.