A passenger-only ferry from Colwood to downtown Victoria needs to be jump-started with $1 million in provincial funding for a full study, says Colwood Mayor Rob Martin.
He said he expects the study would come back in support of the ferry while calling for more research and the creation of a funding model.
Colwood councillors gave their support to the ferry concept this week.
“We’re being very systematic,” Martin said. “And I understand there are some people who are feeling frustrated because it’s a long process, [but] we’re doing the steps and we’re doing it right, and we’re moving it forward that way.”
The time is right to have more discussion about a ferry, he said. “I’ve been sort of championing it from a mayor standpoint, saying: ‘Hey, this is something we would love’, but I thought it was time we actually brought it forward through council.”
The proposed ferry is already being considered as part of the ongoing South Island Transportation Plan, aimed at moving people more efficiently via all travel modes in an area extending north to Duncan and west to Sooke. The study, which began in April and is expected to wrap up next spring, also includes looking at the feasibility of commuter rail along the E&N corridor.
Even if a Colwood-to-Victoria ferry were approved, it would still take at least three years before the service could operate because of the need to build a full breakwater on the Colwood side, Martin said — not to mention the wait for vessels to be delivered.
A big reason for getting solidly behind the ferry now is that there is still undeveloped land on the Colwood waterfront for a terminal, he said, noting areas such as Royal Beach will likely be completely built out in a decade.
Martin said he is excited about a “pre-feasibility study” on a ferry service that indicated more than 1,000 vehicles a day would be removed from roads and close to a million passengers would be transported in a year.
B.C. Ferries, which commissioned the study by consultant SNC-Lavalin, has said it is at the preliminary stage of determining the viability of a ferry service.
One option outlined in the report would see the service use five diesel-fuel ferries that would leave every 20 minutes between Royal Bay and Ship Point.
Each ferry could hold 294 passengers, each paying a fare of $2.50 for a 28-minute ride. There would also be a route from Royal Bay to an Esquimalt terminal near the Pacific Fleet Club.
Estimated cost of the Royal Bay terminal is $27.9 million, the Ship Point site is $3.7 million and the Esquimalt site is $10 million.
Cost of the five ferries that could be used is estimated at just under $54 million.
Previously, the Royal Canadian Navy ran a free Blue Boat service for 55 years from Colwood, carrying up to 600 people a day to CFB Esquimalt.
That ended in 2013.
A private service that started in 2012 with a $5 return trip lasted only until 2013.
