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Pound-for-pound Seattle has the most used ferry system. It also has the most routes of any system and it's not even close.
Washington State Ferries has close to 70,000 commuters/riders a day. Most of them drive onto the ferry, so I guess that brings up the question of whether it's truly "public transportation". I'd argue it is but could see the other side of that argument.
There are also two agencies in the region that provide passenger-only foot ferries and they average about 5,000 riders a day on weekdays.
Last edited by Vincent_Adultman; 08-25-2021 at 12:50 PM..
Saint John, New Brunswick, is served by 12 free ferries within commuting distance of the city. Operational status is announced several times a day on the radio. They are maintained as ice crossings in winter. Most are on the sprawling tributaries on the Saint John River.
Wait, whaaaaat????
So in the winter they turn the rivers into ice bridges??? Am I understanding this correctly??
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jdawg8181
There's also a ferry from Eastern LI into CT to get up to New England.
Yes. A huge shortcut given the alternative is to go backwards and pass through NYC. Long Island also has the fire island ferries and probably even more ferry systems that I don’t even know about.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elchevere
Shocked no mention of San Francisco Bay Area ferry service up until now, page 4.
When I lived there I took the ferry from Marin County (either Larkspur or Tiburon, with Sausalito being a 3rd option) that dropped me off at the SF Ferry Terminal just across from my office at One Market Plaza.
My job (first one starting out) sucked but that had to be (and still might be) the best commute in the country. I would pass Angel Island, Alcatraz, Marin Headlands, and have approach views of downtown SF, the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges. People on the Tiburon route got pissed when they upgraded to a faster boat that reduced the commute home from 30 to 20 minutes, meaning you could only down 1 instead of 2 drinks. On Fridays, some would make a couple of return home round trips—called FART (Friday Afternoon RoundTrip)—for happy hour in which they could take their time enjoying more than 1 drink and the fantastic views. That was back in my day but looks like things have not changed much:
San Diego also has ferry service between downtown and Coronado.
Ah thanks. Was waiting for someone to talk about the Bay Area. Looks pretty extensive. I imagine that they are extremely useful for commuting and transportation over there. Your description of your commute reminds me so much of when I worked in Staten Island, passing by Ellis island and the Statue of Liberty every single day on my commute, with some of the best views of Manhattan’s skyline. I lowkey loved my commute too. Especially since I had the reverse commute. Was just me and a few tourists lol. But it really sucked if I was ever running late.
Pound-for-pound Seattle has the most used ferry system. It also has the most routes of any system and it's not even close.
Washington State Ferries has close to 70,000 commuters/riders a day. Most of them drive onto the ferry, so I guess that brings up the question of whether it's truly "public transportation". I'd argue it is but could see the other side of that argument.
There are also two agencies in the region that provide passenger-only foot ferries and they average about 5,000 riders a day on weekdays.
Washington State Ferries lists 10 routes and has 21 ferries. Are you including other ferry companies as well?
I ask, because BC Ferries has 25 routes and 35 ferries. Passenger count for BC is a couple of million less though.
From what I could dig up, Washington State Ferries is the largest ferry system in the USA, and BC Ferries is the largest in North America.
I know this thread isn't about size, but someone saying " it's not even close " is kind of laying down the gauntlet
If you isolate commuters into Downtown Seattle, most walk on. The other routes have a lot of drivers. Even they often offload people heading to transit, at Fauntleroy (buses), Edmonds (buses, trains), Mukilteo (buses, trains), etc.
Wait, whaaaaat????
So in the winter they turn the rivers into ice bridges??? Am I understanding this correctly??
!
Yes. In spring and fall, there is usually a couple weeks when the ice is not firm enough. Ontario and Northerrn Michigan also have seasonal ferries, in which cars cross on the ice in winter. It's risky, cars fall through ice and drivers die. Ive driven my car on frozen lakes many times, ice fishing.
The ferry to populated Amherst Island from Kingston Ontario is kept open all year by pumping air through a perforated underwater tube, which agitates the water that the narrow channel doesn't freeze.
Bangkok, among others, has a wonderful boat service on the river, with scheduled stops, and it a faster way to get through the city than on the traffic-clogged streets.
This would see practical in a few US cities, like New Orleans, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Detroit. But those have very little population next to the industrialized riverfront.
Bangkok, among others, has a wonderful boat service on the river, with scheduled stops, and it a faster way to get through the city than on the traffic-clogged streets.
This would see practical in a few US cities, like New Orleans, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Detroit. But those have very little population next to the industrialized riverfront.
The rivers are too windy in New Orleans, St. Louis and Cincinnati, not sure you would save any time? And Detroit shares the river with Canada so the metro area isn’t really centered around the river. However the Willamette river in Portland runs fairly straight so could be a good candidate, and upon further research, they are opening a line between St. Johns and Downtown next year. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kgw...4-63b64af6cb99
I didn't mean sailboats, but then I saw what you meant by "windy". I was speaking of only a few mile, like just from the Quarter to the university, in a smooth curve through New Orleans. That would be about 8 miles, plus eight one-minute stops. How long would that take, compared to the St. Charles streetcar?
Bangkok's 65 water taxis carry 40,000 passengers a day along 13 miles of river.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arr430
Bangkok, among others, has a wonderful boat service on the river, with scheduled stops, and it a faster way to get through the city than on the traffic-clogged streets.
This would see practical in a few US cities, like New Orleans, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Detroit. But those have very little population next to the industrialized riverfront.
Bangkok traffic is atrocious, so their floating river services/boats are really a gem. I agree a few of those cities would have really been great if they were based around water transportation.
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