Derek Kilbourn
Sounder News
This past week, BC Ferries announced that the company has added over 1,000 extra sailings across its high-demand routes, such as the ones between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, for the summer.
Route 19, serving Gabriola Island via Nanaimo Harbour, will not see any changes made to the schedule, despite repeated calls from the community for more evening service.
Sheila Reynolds, Senior Communications Advisor with BC Ferries said BC Ferries is preparing for the company’s busiest summer yet, with more than 9 million passengers expected by September.
“On Route 19, two-ship service and 23 round trips per day will continue, which has helped ease stand-by traffic. We continue to monitor demand and are ready to make adjustments if needed. We know there may be challenges during peak travel periods, but we’ve done everything we can to be ready and keep people moving so they have a positive travel experience.”
She said for those with flexibility, the company recommends planning ahead, and when possible, avoiding the most popular travel days like Thursday/Friday and Sunday/Monday on long weekends.
“Travelling during off-peak times, such as early morning or late evening, or walking on board, can also help. We know these options aren’t always possible, but they can make for a smoother experience if customers have that flexibility.”
This past weekend, the Gabriola route saw overloads in Nanaimo Harbour for the entire evening.
A core concern of the community is that the two-ship service ends just as commuters are trying to get home on the same sailings that many of the island visitors are also trying to take.
Reynolds was asked if the second Gabriola ship could be staffed for two-ship evening service.
She said, “We understand the concerns of local commuters during peak season, and that the route gets busier on long weekends. We’ve looked closely at the options, but the crew is already working at full capacity, and unfortunately, extending the second vessel’s schedule or adding another shift isn’t financially viable at this time. We’ll continue monitoring the situation and exploring ways to improve service when possible.”
Gabriola Trustee Tobi Elliott (Islands Trust), said she has seen a trend since moving to Gabriola in 2012 where BC Ferries continues to prioritize tourism and service on Metro Vancouver routes, over the needs of resident and regular commuters to the Gulf Islands.
“We saw that with the ferry cuts in 2014 to critical service routes.
“Gabriola got a needed infrastructure boost with two new ferries. In reality it means we caught up to current needs, but already do not have capacity for any more travel pressure.
“We know there will be a huge increase to the Gulf islands with local tourists who have already changed their travel plans to travel in Canada. The movement to travel and spend locally is fantastic. I’m shocked however that none of the extra sailings planned to alleviate tourism and visitor pressure this summer are being directed to the Gulf Islands. Residents will be critically impacted, as ferries are not optional transportation for anyone who needs to go off-island for services, medical appointments, etc. BC Ferries needs to pay attention to these essential routes, stop focussing on expensive “engagement”, and deliver essential services wherever and whenever it’s lacking.”
Trustee Susan Yates had served as the Islands Trust representative on the Gabriola Ferry Advisory Committee before the FAC was dissolved on April 30 by BC Ferries.
She noted that the disproportionate number of sailings leaving Gabriola in the morning and returning home in the evening, is making life miserable for many people who just want to get home in the late afternoon and evening.
Yates said Gabriolans – like every other person in this province who can come and go from work, school, medical appointments, and visiting friends and family – should be able to do that without spending hours waiting in a traffic line extending for half a kilometre. Especially when BCF staff will not fill the parking lot; vehicles in the line must then continually start and stop their cars, while being stranded on a city street without access to a washroom.
“This past two weeks I have been working with Drivers to Doctors, a volunteer organization that cannot get priority loading from BCF.
“This is despite the fact that the patients they carry in their vehicles have no other means to get to urgent medical appointments in Nanaimo.
“Thus, the volunteer driver and their patients end up waiting in sometimes exhausting conditions on one side or the other of our ferry route. Instead of a routine 4-5 hour round trip, it becomes an arduous 7-8 hour trip.
“And – no surprise – despite all good samaritan intentions, volunteer drivers are beginning to say no to these trips, simply because who can afford to spend that long in lineups. Which of course results in more residents being desperate to get to medical appointments that cannot be scheduled for alternative transportation.”
She also pointed to tourism – — that which increases ferry traffic exponentially from May to the end of September.
“Maybe tourists don’t mind spending hours in ferry lineups but this creates hardship and resentment for residents in a community that is supposed to be welcoming tourists, especially now that the province is touting travel above the 49th parallel.”
She said yes, BCF has added ferry runs to other routes for the busy season, “but they sure have not considered adding anything for the coastal communities whose ferry connections are their lifelines. We are somewhat tourism-dependent for local business, but how can we welcome more visitors than ever when they compromise our one and only route to work, school, appointments, and back to our homes.
“Finally, as one of your locally-elected representatives I welcome all comments regarding ferry transportation. But here’s the catch – my best route for advocacy and assistance on any issue relating to BC Ferries has always been the Ferry Advisory Committee – a diverse group of dedicated Gabriolans who really know our ferry system, a community voice of collected knowledge able to help me with political decisions.”
The ferry line at 7:08pm on thursday May 15. Vehicles were no longer being admitted into the terminal, as a full load for the 7:40pm sailing was already inside the terminal. Vehicles outside the terminal were ones loaded on the 9:25pm. Sounder News photo
Yates added, “The Gabriola FAC in particular represents decades of long-time respected residents voicing our concerns in ways that are logical, reasonable, and I believe not just helpful to our community, but helpful also to BCF in their decisions about safety and service priorities.”
Vanessa Craig is the Regional Director for Electoral Area B (Gabriola, Mudge, Decourcy islands) in the Regional District of Nanaimo.
Craig said she agrees with Trustee Yates in that the current situation with the ferry lineups in Nanaimo, “do not meet even basic standards for customer service as people will be waiting in their vehicles for hours due to overloads without the ability to leave their vehicles or access to a washroom.
“In many cases this results in drivers idling their cars to have air conditioning, resulting in significant negative environmental impacts and runs counter to BC Ferries stated commitment to environmental responsibility.
“Multi-trip overloads without satisfactory BC Ferries management of the line, as has been the case, also results in frustration as travellers knowingly, or for those who are not familiar with the process, unknowingly, attempt to skip the line in their desperation.”
Director Craig pointed to the recent press release from BC Ferries on the new sailing from Tsawwassen to Departure Bay.
In the release, BC Ferries says that the “sailing will help BC Ferries better manage peak-season demand, ease pressure on terminals, and deliver a better experience for passengers and staff alike.”
Craig said the company’s decisions for the gulf island routes seems to be the opposite. She pointed to the ongoing decision-making where it comes to small island ferries – citing BC Ferries ordering ferries which are already too small for the route; refusing to adjust the ferry schedule during peak periods – resulting in hours-long lineups – and by refusing to allocate funds to improve the island ferry infrastructure.
This, says Craig, runs counter to BC Ferries’ vision of providing a safe, reliable and efficient marine transportation service that fulfills its role as an essential public service.
“The latest decision to disband Ferry Advisory Committees is very concerning as it takes away an important collective voice for ferry-dependent island communities to provide input and feedback to BC Ferries. I understand that we are in unprecedented financial times and difficult decisions must be made – we are facing that at the local government level and other levels of government as well; however, given that our islands are reliant on BC Ferries for our daily living as well as access to essential services such as jobs and advanced medical care, it is essential that BC Ferries be open and transparent about how decisions are being made and listen to the communities who are dependent on their service. I also welcome any residents to pass along feedback to me and the Islands Trust Trustees so that we can amplify their voice. I’ll close with noting that the RDN Board endorsed writing a letter to BC Ferries about our concern about disbanding the FAC.”
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