City expedites repairs after unexpected dock closure blows hole in False Creek ferry service

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A vital link for both tourists and commuters has reopened after False Creek Ferries lost the use of its most-used dock in the West End at the Aquatic Centre last week.

While its condition had been deteriorating for a while, a City of Vancouver inspection Friday deemed it unsafe and it was quickly closed.

That move left a number of passengers up the (False) creek without a paddle.

“This is the most important dock for us. That dock is our link to the West End, it’s also the first route we started operating in 1984. So it’s our busiest route, it’s the route with the most frequency in terms of ferry departures and the highest volumes of passengers,” says False Creek Ferries operations manager Jeremy Patterson.

https://twitter.com/FCF_Conditions/status/1142472544013832192

He says he appreciated the need to have it fixed but says this was the worst possible time of year for it.

“The weekend that just passed would have been a very busy weekend and we weren’t able to use the dock. That was Dragon Boat Festival and Jazz Festival is on. The weekend coming is the busiest weekend of the year. The Canada Day weekend with celebrations on Granville Island will be the busiest day of the year for sure,” says Patterson.

“It’s a huge loss of revenue for the company. It puts a dent in your season. In some ways we can like our business to that of a farmer, you have to make hay while the sun shines. At this time of year, if you don’t get your season in, it can have long-term harm on the whole year.”

VIDEO: Why is the busiest @FalseCreekFerry dock closed at the busiest time of year? @NEWS1130 pic.twitter.com/Nrkp3px0qJ

— Simon Druker (@Simon_Druker) June 26, 2019

The city initially said they hoped to get it repaired in time for the busy weekend, but after media attention were able to make the fix even faster – on Wednesday.

Patterson says there have been whispers about replacing the entire dock for three years and that major work should have been done during one of the less-busy months during the fall or winter when it would cause less disruption.

“We’ve had this dock on the books to be replaced for a while now and have been working to get that in place. Right now that’s scheduled for the fall but we may keep looking at whether we can move that little bit closer based on this,” says Paul Storer, the City of Vancouver’s manager of transportation design.

#WestEnd @FalseCreekFerry dock (near Aquatic Centre) still closed as service starts. Will it be fixed for the busiest weekend of the year? Listen all morning @NEWS1130 pic.twitter.com/3LFbAf3zBo

— Simon Druker (@Simon_Druker) June 26, 2019

Patterson says many don’t realize the dock is heavily used by both tourists and regular commuters, so having it repaired so quickly was a huge help.

“Well, it means that commuters that are wanting to using the ferry to go home after work today will be able to do that. And then people who are visiting who want to use that service can again do so,” he says. “There were people on the ramp as soon as we unlocked the gate, so that was pretty exciting. I think the city realizes that more people use that dock than perhaps anybody thought.”

He said some had been starting to ask for money back on day passes or finding alternate arrangements during the closure.

In the interim, Aquabus Ferry Ltd. allowed the company to use its Hornby Street dock.

Patterson says if the closure had become a long-term issue, False Creek Ferries would have had to cut back on service and consider layoffs.

 

-With files from Espe Currie