$662 Million, 10-Year Plan To Make Bay A Ferry Capital-Proposal...7 routes & less-polluting vessels

sfgate.com/San Francisco Chronicle ^ | Thursday, August 22, 2002 | Michael Cabanatuan, Chronicle Staff Writer

[American Preservative]

A scaled-back but still ambitious plan to launch the world's largest fleet of ferries would add seven routes on San Francisco Bay and use state-of- the-art boats to reduce air pollution.

The draft plan, to be released by the San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority today, also proposes expanding service on the existing Golden Gate, Alameda/Oakland, Vallejo Baylink and Harbor Bay Island ferries.

[American Preservative]

Click the source link and click the little "Ferry Plan" photo to see the proposed routes.

[American Preservative]

"Ferry Capital" ping. : )

[Carry_Okie]

Every bureaucracy needs a private fleet of yachts. The Golden Gate ferries were an expensive mistake when they were built, so the plan is to make it bigger. Remember those gas turbine engines and the ridiculous wakes from the original hydrofoils?

[Tony in Hawaii]

I wonder what the less-polluting innovation is? Oars, perhaps?

[WSGilcrest]

I enjoy taking the ferry across the bay. (Hey, there's a bar on the boat!) But don't raise taxes and bridge tolls. If it can't make money, forgetaboutit!

[tubebender]

"The Water Transit Authority plan also outlines the authority's intent to use less-polluting, and eventually pollution-free, vessels on the bay."

Don't throw away those old bed sheets. They will need them for sails.

BTW , 12 million riders a year in 22 years sounds low to me. Can some one do the math and tell me how many riders a day that would be ?

[American Preservative]

That's what I was thinking, too - giant viking boats~~~~BYODO (bring your own d*mn oar!) Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Across the Bay we go! : )

[river rat]

"Ferry Capital"

Hell, I thought San Francisco was ALREADY the Fairy Capital.
Semper Fi

[nastypumps]

Thx for alerting us to another "all wet", big bucks proposal for social engineering thru' public transport. Nowhere is there any tally of the staggering $$$ losses these schemes bleed out of us year after year.
My favorite aspect of ferry travel is the bar on board!?#@&!? What are these transport. "pros" thinking? I recall, the few times I tried to use the boat, how bombed many of the "regulars" got, especially on Fridays when they already had a head start on the w.e. Always so comforting to watch folks as staggered into their vechicles in the ferry lot. Where is MAD when you need them?
Just heard that car ridership is up 3% over the last decade or so "in spite of". No wonder, since folks who do the most in & for our economy are working longer hours & traveling more distances by land routes, so they can't get to terminals at the same times every day.
We no longer have a "9 to 5/5 day per week/single location" workplace--unless we work for a gub'ment Transportation Dept., of course.
Yes, it is a pretty ride, if you don't use a cane as I do, & you like wobbly gangways, sagging old seats (theirs, not mine), long outdoor lines, cold waiting rooms, rude/ overpaid/newspaper reading staffers, coffee stained interiors & lengthy walks to/from your ultimate destination in the rain & the dark. But I rant...

[The KG9 Kid]

They can't even fill the current ferrys to capacity now!

Let the East Bay people throw their money away on this if they wish.

Maybe the 'Mysterious Arab Men with video cameras' who were allegedly recording bay ferry traffic submitted this idiotic proposal...

[Frohickey]

I have a better idea.

Pave the Bay!!!

Dynamite the Santa Cruz mountains, and dump the debris in the San Francisco Bay. Then you won't need any ferries.