As ferry passengers are aware there have been changes at Horseshoe Bay terminal which affect Islanders movement to and from the Queen of Capilano. By early July work had been completed on the new pedestrian overpass and on a new locking system to the lower level gate.
B.C. Ferries put up the pedestrian overpass because of safety concerns. A July 6 press release from the B.C. Ferries Media Advisory said that "Safety is enhanced with the new pedestrian overpass separating customers from the vehicular traffic."
While that seems simple, changes to the lower level gates may not be and recently the Undercurrent heard passenger complaints about those changes. The lower level gates were previously open for any passengers who choose to use that route to go to and from the ship. In their July press release B.C. Ferries talked about the changes.
"Foot passengers travelling with pets, bicycles or kayaks will continue to access the terminal through the ground level village gate and will continue to board and disembark the vessels via the main car deck," the press release says. "Entry through the village gate will be restricted using a newly installed security feature that will require customers to use a unique PIN code available from the foot passenger ticket agent at the time of ticket purchase."
The Undercurrent has sought to
discover why a "newly installed security feature" was needed, the exact nature of the security issue and how much it cost. On Wednesday morning Darin Guenette, public affairs manager, said he was not able to provide those answers himself but could have them by the afternoon.
He was not able to provide them, however, and on Thursday morning explained that the answers would be forthcoming, though not in time for this week's paper.
"Some of the answers I am waiting for are coming from the project management team that work on both the gate and the walkway," Mr. Guenette wrote in an email Thursday morning. "And they were unreachable yesterday afternoon, and I do not expect to hear anything at least all morning as well. I will continue to work on getting what info I can, but it will obviously be for a future issue."
The new system is causing, some passengers say, inconveniences and challenges. Islander Susan Maclaren had polio when young and is "challenged" using stairs and was accustomed to using the gates to get into Horseshoe Bay. With the new system, after leaving the ferry from the lower car deck she now must take the elevator up, walk, and then an elevator back down.
"You're toast if you have to make a bus," Maclaren said Wednesday.
Further, the locking of the gates may be creating confusion for some and is making the walk from ferry to terminal longer. This reporter has seen bunches of commuters around the gate working the system and trying to get through. On Wednesday afternoon an elderly couple tried the system, had difficulty with their code and returned to the terminal for further instructions.
The Undercurrent will report on the reasons B.C. Ferries felt there was a security issue surrounding the movement to and from the Queen of Capilano through the lower level gates, and the costs of the construction of the gates, upon receiving the information from B.C. Ferries.
