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The Detroit Port Authority wants a ferry up and running to and from Windsor by spring of 2013.The authority told CBC News it already has a new boat terminal waiting to be used by the Renaissance Center, located across the Detroit River from Windsor's downtown core.Deputy director Steven Olinek said there is even funding lined up from Washington to buy a ferry.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windso...y-service.html
Maybe the U.S. can pay for a Canadian terminal and get paid back from the tolls?:rolleyes:
Wonder what they'll use for a boat. The GTW/CN carferry Huron is still around.......sunk at a slip at River Rouge, I'll grant you, but still around.
That.... was too freaking funny!Quote:
Originally Posted by 401don
Ferries aren't perfect, though. They are a relatively pollution-heavy form of travel due to the specs on marine engines. Maybe the EPA can kick in on pollution controls...
This would be a game changer for the Riverfront!
Whatever happened to the aerial tram idea that was floating round for a while?Quote:
Originally Posted by corktownyuppie
Wasn't that mostly a pipe dream anyways? And then 9/11 happened also. With this news about a ferry, it seems like the "9/11 hypersecurity" mantra is slowing down, perhaps? I mean, we might get a new bridge and this ferry.Quote:
Originally Posted by Meddle
Is that the same idea where they proposed having a gondola carrying people across the river? I thought it sounded cool, but don't see it happening in this post 911 world.Quote:
Originally Posted by Meddle
Use a sailboat for the ferry. Completely green.Quote:
Originally Posted by Detroitnerd
The gondola was not proposed by the Port Authority.
Here is the money:
http://www.semcog.org/Data/Apps/tran...password=guest
This ferry would most likely be just a pedestrian ferry, not a car one. These little connections to the region are small, but major steps toward getting a real mass transit system. New York City had the ferries before the MTA and PATH trains...Quote:
Originally Posted by douglasm
NYC Still has ferries.Quote:
Originally Posted by rbdetsport
The water taxi costs about$3 a ride up and down the river. Nice ride, but it doesn't travel in the winter months. It's used by working people.Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner
I really don't see a need for this. Sure it would be nice, but what's the reason to head over to downtown Windsor? There are casinos and a nice riverfront walk in Detroit. The stores and and most of the better restaurants in Windsor are long gone. The only big convention that utilizes Windsor's hotels is the Auto Show, which takes place in January. You could bus Windsor's nurses over to New Center that work in those hospitals but that would require buses or rail and people won't change their commute if it's not year round.
I guess you can always go over to look at the Detroit skyline.
Uh...Quote:
Originally Posted by 401don
I dunno, the pedestrian cross-traffic for both sides would help the economies? I'm not in the business of supporting the Canadian economy, but perhaps if more people could more easily visit Windsor it could bring some life into their downtown again [[and ours)?
Windsor is actually still a nice place. Of course everyone here is stuck in the "good old days" on both sides of the border, whenever the fuck that was.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chicago48
NYC also has the Staten Island Ferry, which I once used to commute to Manhattan. It runs year-round, is free of charge, and is about a 30 minute ride that gives great views of the Statue of Liberty and the downtown skyline. For people living on Staten Island, it is a significant form of transportation, but it is predominantly used for commuting. It runs less frequently in off-times and is much less traveled.
The Staten Island ferry was originally a car ferry, but since 9-11, cars have not been allowed. In fact, three new ferries delivered for service after 9-11 were designed for cars and have car bays, but cars have never been allowed on them.
SE Michigan still has the Harsen's Island ferry which runs until the ice totally clogs the North Channel.
It is VERY important. We have two border crossings , both of which require that a person drives a car or takes a Windsor bus. This ferry proposal gives bikers, as well as people who do not want the hassle of waiting in traffic jams, the opportunity to use both downtowns as one. In the past, many more people would go back and forth to eat or drink or hang out on the Windsor side. Now it's such a pain to get back in the US that no one does.Quote:
Originally Posted by 401don
Hopefully this is streamlined enough that there aren't too many delays for customs. etc
Heh. Carbon footprint was zero, but we had to tack down to Sandwich... ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Hermod
It could also be used by Windsor residents who want to visit Detroit. Presumably the ferry would run in both directions.Quote:
Originally Posted by 401don
And for people living in New York in the summer without A/C, it's the best way to cool off for an hour...Quote:
Originally Posted by cman710
An aside, I actually saw those ferries coming down the Detroit River on their way to be delivered! I had to do a double take. "What the heck.... that looks like the Staten Island Ferry! It is, it is, the Staten Island Ferry!"Quote:
Originally Posted by cman710
Is the title of this thread mid-leading? It would be a big story if the Feds are advocating for ferry service Detroit/Canada. But if just the Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority behind this - well, lots of work would remain to be done!
The feds are kicking in 80 percent of the capital costs to get this started. Would they be doing that if they were not sold on the project?Quote:
Originally Posted by SWMAP
Which feds? The ones that supply the money may not be the ones who have to secure and inspect the passengers. I could think of half a dozen fed agencies that have to come on board and sign off on this.Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner
Very interesting DetroitPlanner! That would have been a cool sight to see. Thanks for sharing the story. I do remember that the three new ferries were built in Wisconsin, so it makes sense that they would come through Detroit.Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner
Having ferries again would be so nice. It is like adding a whole new sections to both downtown Detroit and Windsor with a pleasant river ride thrown in.
Better yet the whole process is pedestrian. No need to breath fumes in the tunnel in stalled traffic as your only option.
Right now our downtowns and their most beautiful asset, the riverfront, are commercial dead ends. A prime example is the moribund Wintergarden in RenCen. It like all businesses there suffers primarily from pedestrian inaccessibility.
A ferry changes that extending the walkable, bikeable urban cores immensely. Want to bike out to Walkerville for lunch? No problem. Want to cross to Detroit to shop at RenCen? No big deal.
Many years ago when I was in the US military in Germany I would ride the train. I remember that the there were occasions where passports and paperwork was checked on the train. A ferry could be set up so that the checking is done on the ferry while traveling instead of having people wait in line on land.
Yes, on the TGV from Paris to Lausanne, the Swiss border guys would board the train on the last stop in France. They would go through the train checking passports and asking for customs declarations. When you got to Lausanne you just got off the train.Quote:
Originally Posted by LivedInWarren
We do that here in the US as well. There are US customs and immigration folks at the airports in Bermuda and the Bahamas. You clear them at that point and then the planes can fly into any airport in he US without using "international terminals".
When I posted earlier that I didn't really see the need for this, I didn't think of the benefit for tunnel bus riders avoiding the backups in the tunnel. It would be nice if they could somehow schedule hours so that the number of bus runs could be reduced. I can see some convention visitors and tourists [[let's face it most tourists are people here for a couple of ball games) wanting to visit Windsor. The issue is whether or not these American visitors would know about it in advance and be carrying their passports.
Depends on the ferry. Smaller, slower ferries [[~100 people) only use a few gallons of diesel per hour of running time - very efficient on a per-passenger basis. The larger, high speed ferries are much less efficient. I don't think you'd need to carry more than 100, though, and the slowest ferry could probably make the crossing in around ten minutes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Detroitnerd
Did I say they didn't...? No, I live in New York City and am well aware of the ferries. I was using it as an example of the little things that come first.Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner
Thanks for the clarification, JBMcB.Quote:
Originally Posted by JBMcB
DOT / FTA is the agencyQuote:
Originally Posted by Hermod
The few times I've used the tunnel bus it was smooth sailing. It gets an express use of the entrance and exit. Of course there is still a customs/immigration interrogation, but its not as severe as driving. The buses are pretty full by the time they cross with about 20 percent getting on next to the ren cen. These folks are workers who live in Windsor. I suppose you get a few in reverse as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by 401don
Canada already does this at several airports, including Toronto Pearson... [[from http://torontopearson.com/Departing_to_usa.aspx#Quote:
Originally Posted by Hermod
Quote:
U.S. bound flights: Please arrive early with your travel documents ready.
For the majority of U.S. flights, guests leaving Toronto will go through U.S. Customs in Toronto, which allows you to arrive in the United States as a domestic passenger.