(Langdale be damned since the long term plan is to extend the road around Howe Sound).
Believe it West Van has been on the record for years as being against the HB terminal they want it gone.I say this is baloney. Pure and simple politics. The guys on the north shore just want to decrease the traffic in their community....
Nanaimo has THREE ferry terminals. Thus costs for THREE terminals. Any business with any common sense would change that to ONE terminal at duke point. All three ferry's should run through Duke point. Horeshoe bay, Gabriola and Tswaassen should go through Duke point.
This would be a good cost cutting measure, would get the traffic onto the parkway (byepass) instead of running it through town, and would allow Departure bay to be properly developed and enjoyed instead of being a bloody freeway for 200ft long ships.
As far as I can tell departure bay is just the pipe dream of business types in Nanaimo who fantasize that all those people that get off the ferry will drive by the malls and stop in to shop. That is the last thing you want to do after sitting for 3hrs on the ferry and lineups.
STOP THE INSANITY, MOVE IT ALL TO DUKE POINT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As much as there are some reasons for cutback sounds fishy. Ridership is down and you have an under performing management in place. The management wages are insane. 500K for a CEO. There are some high tech companies such in Van etc big corporations where CEO's make half that, and they perform. They spend 12 million in management team think about that. 12 million for a team that loses money! Its also is interesting the timing isn't it... It wants to centralize its location and offer more service at that terminal. That's because the new harbour catamaran is coming to Duke point...
http://www.vancouversun.com/busines...recessionary+drag+province/9520800/story.html
Here is the Seattle to Bremerton Route by Washington State Ferries rates. It is 1hour crossing See there rates and weep. I don't expect them to be totally the same but look at those fares something wrong?
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/fares/FaresDetail.aspx?departingterm=7&arrivingterm=4
Here's a PDF - A Comparison of Operational Performance: Washington State Ferries to Ferry Operators Worldwide that may be of interest. It's from 2010.