In Saturday’s Panorama magazine, Chris Wallace suggested that Canberra would benefit from a ferry system (as transport as much as a tourist attraction), with ferries every 15 minutes in daylight hours to connect the National Museum, ANU, New Acton, the National Library and Gallery, Kingston Foreshore and Russell Hill.
In light of current debate over Canberra public transport and the need to connect the North and South sides of the Lake, it’s not the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.
It seems to me potentially a much simpler and cheaper form of transport which may be of more use, particularly if ACTION buses connected at each ferry stop.
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In my time away from Canberra, I don’t know if this is something that has been raised and chucked as an idea before or whether it has been proven unfeasible.
I defer to my knowledgeable rioters for opinion…
What’s Your opinion?
Could Ferries be part of the public transport solution for Canberra?
Oldest to Newst
dungfungus said :
Looks like it didn’t take off, which is a shame. It would have been cool to see ACTION buses taking short cuts across our lakes. Perhaps someone could manufacture them in Canberra under licence–I hear that some people think we need more industry.
switch said :
Given that there’s many in power who have their heads in the clouds that would be right up their alley….
JessicaGlitter said :
It exists! Jet powered too with an open roof.
http://www.maritimejournal.com/news101/power-and-propulsion/centas_sounds_of_silence_for_amphibious_jet_bus
It’s also a lame duck which is a good stablemate for the white elephant (aka light rail)
Two words: amphibious buses.
I would just buy a bus pass and spend the summer riding around. It would have to have an open roof of course.
Thanks for that davo101. And it carried bicycles too! What a cool idea, I wish it would of lasted.
Maya123 said :
Here’s an article about it from 1966.
Maya123 said :
I remember reading in a historical article somewhere about an ANU professor who used the ferry service to travel between his Yarralumla home and the ANU. It was the first I’d heard of such a thing, I suppose the demand wasn’t great enough and it didn’t last long. IMO the idea has potential, if not yet then sometime in the future, for example a more pleasant way for tourists to get around the sights than driving around looking for a parking space or a nice commute from to Civic from places like Kingston.
davo101 said :
Yeah – saw that in the Canberra Times I think. A great cartoon ! With a certain irony about it.
bundah said :
I’m guessing you liked Pope’s cartoon as much as I did.
bundah said :
Still waiting for those personal jetpacks we were promised back in the sixties.
Forget ferries that’s old-hat what we need is skyway gondolas….
Good idea only if the ferries were shotover jet boats. That would service the area fine.