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New Toronto-Rochester Hovercraft Proposed
- Thread starter nicetommy
- Start date
I'd like to see this initiative succeed just long enough for me to ride it once.
I did that CAT thing once from cRotchFester back to The Big Smoke and it was supasmooth and fun, but the price tag had me driving one way down to ride one way back.
Rochester actually has a few things worth exploring, BTW...
42
I did that CAT thing once from cRotchFester back to The Big Smoke and it was supasmooth and fun, but the price tag had me driving one way down to ride one way back.
Rochester actually has a few things worth exploring, BTW...
42
TKTKTK
Senior Member
That's for sure!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftrY3ndHaEI&feature=related
Loud? What?!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9itWFYp_Ri8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTrFYLbbknE
These people literally go nowhere.
Hoverports are, ummmm, not green:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5EK5kBH0Dk&feature=related
Therion
Senior Member
The hovercraft could be useful to stage raids on Rochester once the Arabs cut the U.S. off of oil and they decide to implement the United States of North America action plan.
But seriously, has anyone ever thought of using something similar to ferry commuters from Niagara or Hamilton to downtown T.O.?
But seriously, has anyone ever thought of using something similar to ferry commuters from Niagara or Hamilton to downtown T.O.?
Kiwi
Active Member
Yes, there have been a few articles in the Spec suggesting GO Boat service from Hamilton to Toronto. A few councilors and councilor Bratina (who is a member of GO Transit) suggested the idea to GO Transit about a year ago.
Kiwi
Active Member
Found the article......
Hamilton - Toronto ferry service possible, Minister says
July 05, 2007
Before the era of planes, trains and automobiles, water ruled the way we moved. It may again.
If a proposal by the TTC worms its way into reality, Lake Ontario could become a rapid transit corridor.
At the TTC's July 13 meeting, the commission is to request a study into a ferry serving downtown from Etobicoke and Scarborough. TTC chair Adam Giambrone, who is proposing the study, expects two boats and docking facilities would cost $20 million to $25 million.
"The technology in boats has advanced to the point where it is cost-effective to buy boats that go 30 to 40 knots (55 to 74 km/h)," he said.
In comparison, the 204 low-floor, accessible streetcars the TTC wants to buy will each cost $4 million to $5 million.
Giambrone said there are about 1,000 parking spots at the Scarborough Bluffs and more than 400 close to Humber Bay in Etobicoke, near where a ferry could dock.
But the TTC must evaluate whether there would be a demand for a ferry service and whether it would be cost-effective, he said.
The TTC doesn't have expertise in running boats, even though it ran the Toronto Islands ferries in the 1960s, so it would probably have to look at contracting out the operation and maintenance of the boats.
Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield supports the study, calling Lake Ontario and the harbour an underused "H2O highway" that could help ease gridlock on roads.
"I think they should explore all these possibilities," she said, noting ferries could take some of the load off busy GO trains and streetcars.
GO Transit itself could look at ferry service from Hamilton, she suggested, possibly shipping packages as well as people, given that the Hamilton airport is a FedEx hub.
But Greater Toronto Transportation Authority chair Rob MacIsaac said the lakeshore is already well served by GO Transit's busy east-west line. "We have a highly developed service along that corridor now and we plan to add to it."
Mayor David Miller said that while the ferry idea is "worth looking at," the economics might make it a difficult to launch.
He also noted the TTC has a commitment to its $6 billion Transit City plan, which calls for 120 kilometres of rapid transit routes.
But TTC commissioner Glenn De Baeremaeker (Ward 38, Scarborough Centre) called the idea "absolutely fabulous."
"It would take me normally about 45 or 50 minutes to drive downtown. It would take maybe five minutes to drive to Bluffer's Park. You would cut some people's commuting time in half."
But fellow commissioner Michael Thompson (Ward 37, Scarborough Centre) disagreed.
"Most of the population of Scarborough lives north of Eglinton. I doubt very much if anyone is going to be interested in terms of driving their car to the bluffs to take a ferry to the waterfront."
Other critics say the ferry would face other obstacles: capacity, ice, waves and cost.
"The capacity on these things is not such that it's going to affect GO trains or highways or that sort of thing," said Ed Levy, a transportation consultant. GO trains carry 165,000 people per day. The subway carries a thousand per train. To make a dent in the traffic plugging the 401, a ferry would have to be large and frequent.
"It would be a gigantic commitment," he said, adding that similar ferry services, such as the Staten Island Ferry in New York, are much larger than the pond-jumpers that shuttle islanders and school groups between the Toronto Islands.
Staten Island ferries carry about 3,500 people and 40 cars, but the Toronto Islands ferries carry, at most, about 1,000 people.
The proposed route, which could take commuters downtown in about 15 minutes, would have to travel about 20 kilometres between its most eastern and western points, much of it in waters unprotected by the islands that shelter the harbour from winds.
Hamilton - Toronto ferry service possible, Minister says
July 05, 2007
Before the era of planes, trains and automobiles, water ruled the way we moved. It may again.
If a proposal by the TTC worms its way into reality, Lake Ontario could become a rapid transit corridor.
At the TTC's July 13 meeting, the commission is to request a study into a ferry serving downtown from Etobicoke and Scarborough. TTC chair Adam Giambrone, who is proposing the study, expects two boats and docking facilities would cost $20 million to $25 million.
"The technology in boats has advanced to the point where it is cost-effective to buy boats that go 30 to 40 knots (55 to 74 km/h)," he said.
In comparison, the 204 low-floor, accessible streetcars the TTC wants to buy will each cost $4 million to $5 million.
Giambrone said there are about 1,000 parking spots at the Scarborough Bluffs and more than 400 close to Humber Bay in Etobicoke, near where a ferry could dock.
But the TTC must evaluate whether there would be a demand for a ferry service and whether it would be cost-effective, he said.
The TTC doesn't have expertise in running boats, even though it ran the Toronto Islands ferries in the 1960s, so it would probably have to look at contracting out the operation and maintenance of the boats.
Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield supports the study, calling Lake Ontario and the harbour an underused "H2O highway" that could help ease gridlock on roads.
"I think they should explore all these possibilities," she said, noting ferries could take some of the load off busy GO trains and streetcars.
GO Transit itself could look at ferry service from Hamilton, she suggested, possibly shipping packages as well as people, given that the Hamilton airport is a FedEx hub.
But Greater Toronto Transportation Authority chair Rob MacIsaac said the lakeshore is already well served by GO Transit's busy east-west line. "We have a highly developed service along that corridor now and we plan to add to it."
Mayor David Miller said that while the ferry idea is "worth looking at," the economics might make it a difficult to launch.
He also noted the TTC has a commitment to its $6 billion Transit City plan, which calls for 120 kilometres of rapid transit routes.
But TTC commissioner Glenn De Baeremaeker (Ward 38, Scarborough Centre) called the idea "absolutely fabulous."
"It would take me normally about 45 or 50 minutes to drive downtown. It would take maybe five minutes to drive to Bluffer's Park. You would cut some people's commuting time in half."
But fellow commissioner Michael Thompson (Ward 37, Scarborough Centre) disagreed.
"Most of the population of Scarborough lives north of Eglinton. I doubt very much if anyone is going to be interested in terms of driving their car to the bluffs to take a ferry to the waterfront."
Other critics say the ferry would face other obstacles: capacity, ice, waves and cost.
"The capacity on these things is not such that it's going to affect GO trains or highways or that sort of thing," said Ed Levy, a transportation consultant. GO trains carry 165,000 people per day. The subway carries a thousand per train. To make a dent in the traffic plugging the 401, a ferry would have to be large and frequent.
"It would be a gigantic commitment," he said, adding that similar ferry services, such as the Staten Island Ferry in New York, are much larger than the pond-jumpers that shuttle islanders and school groups between the Toronto Islands.
Staten Island ferries carry about 3,500 people and 40 cars, but the Toronto Islands ferries carry, at most, about 1,000 people.
The proposed route, which could take commuters downtown in about 15 minutes, would have to travel about 20 kilometres between its most eastern and western points, much of it in waters unprotected by the islands that shelter the harbour from winds.
Admiral Beez
Superstar
My Grandmother lives on the Isle of Wight, off the coast of the UK near Portsmouth. I remember the Hovercraft that used to leave from Portsmouth for the trip across the English Channel to France. Those craft are extremely loud, especially as they must inflate their skirts even to move a few feet at port. Once they hit the water and start heading out you'll swear that a combination of the Toronto airshow, Indy and Celine Dion were screaming in your ear. It'll make any noise from Porter Airlines or the Gardiner seem rather quaint.
Just hear the roar at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LusWvFx9fU&feature=related
Just hear the roar at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LusWvFx9fU&feature=related
CDL.TO
Moderator
The idea that we are studying a ferry to run parallel to the lakeshore just shows how bizzaro things have gotten. We have a lakeshore rail line which could quite easily have express GO trains running at speeds of 120 km/h or more, is proven to be highly successful, and would bring improved service to all the communities along the route. But instead of looking to improve that line, we're looking at building a whole new infrastructure for vehicles that would be slower (and there's no chance they would be running at 74 km/h when running along the lakeshore due to wake and the complaints of waterfront property owners), would skip communities containing hundreds of thousands of people, and would have it stations at less convenient locations.
It's mind boggling.
It's mind boggling.
unimaginative2
Senior Member
GO boats to St. Catharines make perfect sense. To Hamilton...not so much. Remember that in their ccase, it isn't entirely about travel time. Some people would just really enjoy being able to ride a boat straight to downtown Toronto every morning. It's a pretty civilized way to travel, in many ways, and there's no way for it to get stuck in traffic so it should be pretty reliable. It'd also be very useful for Niagara tourist traffic. What better way to get to Niagara than a relaxing boat ride? It should only run in the summer, though.
ShonTron
Moderator
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A commuter ferry service to St. Catharines does make some sense, but I wonder how it would work. Port Dalhousie would be perfect for tourists and visitors from Toronto, and would be better for transit, bikes and walking in. But it wouldn't work for the requisite GO sea of parking that would probably be part of this. Port Weller makes more sense to build the park-and-ride, but is less convenient of a location, except for bus shuttles to NOTL.
Maybe the commuter boats could be extended to Thorold, Welland and Port Colbourne via the Welland Canal (April-November only)!
Maybe the commuter boats could be extended to Thorold, Welland and Port Colbourne via the Welland Canal (April-November only)!
Admiral Beez
Superstar
By the time you've waited for the ferry, and then take the ferry at a max speed of probably 20 knots, and then disembarked you'll have wasted more time than just driving to St. Catherines in all but the very worst of traffic.
This reminds of the Saint John to Digby, NS ferry. I would have had to drive south to Saint John from Fredericton, then show up at least an hour early to book your spot, and then the crossing took four hours, and then it drops you off in Digby, which is in the middle of nowhere. Meanwhile if I'd left Fredericton at the same time, I could have (and have done so, for work) driven to Digby in less time, and for far less expense than the ferry.
This reminds of the Saint John to Digby, NS ferry. I would have had to drive south to Saint John from Fredericton, then show up at least an hour early to book your spot, and then the crossing took four hours, and then it drops you off in Digby, which is in the middle of nowhere. Meanwhile if I'd left Fredericton at the same time, I could have (and have done so, for work) driven to Digby in less time, and for far less expense than the ferry.
adma
Superstar
Maybe if it were about gimmicks like a hovercraft, Jordan Harbour would be a better docking point...
wyliepoon
Senior Member
Alternate route... straight to the Maid of the Mist at the foot of Niagara Falls!
(I don't know how it could get past the Whirlpool Rapids though)