A petition calling for “resident priority” vehicle loading on the Horseshoe Bay to Langdale BC Ferries route amassed more than 500 signatures within a week of being started online by Ryan Medd of Gibsons.
His petition, started on www.change.org on Aug. 22, asks for priority loading for residents in communities without alternative road access routes.
“Residents of communities dependent upon BC Ferries for access ... are treated no differently than any other BC Ferries passenger, particularly when it comes to accessing the service. This is not fair.”
He said residents of ferry-dependent communities mostly travel on BC Ferries out of necessity to get to doctors’ appointments, the airport or youth sporting events.
“Expecting residents to pay more (to reserve) simply to access what is truly an essential service, is wrong,” Medd wrote in the letter.
The petition is to be served to Premier Christy Clark, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone and BC Ferries CEO Mike Corrigan.
Medd is a strong supporter of a tolled fixed link to the Lower Mainland and has started a website and Facebook page to promote the idea.
“As much as I have my fingers crossed for getting a fixed link, we’re going to be a good five years, minimum, before we can utilize that. In the meantime, residents shouldn’t have to plan on being at the ferry two hours in advance of the actual sailing, nor should we have to pay more via reservation to access this essential service.”
BC Ferries spokesman Darin Guenette responded, saying the proposal would need careful consideration.
“This would take some very thorough discussion and analysis, as we would need strong consensus from communities that this should be set up,” he said. “Experience tells us that providing a benefit to one customer tends to disadvantage another.”
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