Short- and long-term transportation strategies to transport passengers arriving by cruise ship to Victoria’s Ogden Point will be announced next month as harbour officials analyze traffic numbers from this year and last.
Individual taxis, highway coaches and downtown shuttle buses were counted each of the days in 2014 that a cruise ship pulled in at the port facility. The same thing is happening again this year, said Phil Westoby, assistant terminal manager at Ogden Point for Western Stevedoring. That company works for the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, Ogden Point’s owner.
Security cameras at the two entrance and exit points capture images of vehicles, Westoby said Wednesday.
The data were collected to create a good baseline of information on cruise ship-related traffic.
Traffic on days ships are in port is a long-standing concern for some James Bay residents, who complain of noise, emissions and street congestion.
This year, close to 230 cruise ship visits are expected.
Many factors affect the complex picture of traffic leaving Ogden Point, Westoby said.
This includes the time a ship docks, how long it stays, if it is on schedule, the weather, the time it takes to complete federal arrival processes, whether passengers take coach tours, the passenger capacity of individual ships, the season, and how many gangways are used at one time.
Traffic from each ship day was counted to provide comprehensive trending data, Westoby said. “We wanted to have as big a sample set of raw data as we could have.”
A ground transportation study being developed for the short, medium and long term will be announced in June, with implementation planned in 2016, said Sonterra Ross, Harbour Authority chief operating officer.
The survey counted commercial taxis, highway coaches, and the shuttle buses running between Ogden Point and downtown, Westoby said. It did not include limousines, because there are so many different types of vehicles used, or other options such as pedi-cabs.
On days with a single ship in dock, an average of 201 taxi trips were counted leaving Ogden Point, as well as 42 highway coaches and 29 shuttle trips, Westoby’s data showed.
Within the first 90 minutes, an average of 63 taxis, 19 coaches and five shuttles left the site.
On the days when three cruise ships arrived after 6 p.m., the counts showed an average of 601 taxi trips, 73 coaches, and 41 shuttle trips out of Ogden Point.
For the first 90 minutes on days with three evening cruise ships pulling in, 317 taxis, 53 coaches, and 19 shuttle trips out of the site were counted.
Passengers from different ships are increasingly sharing coaches because Carnival Cruise Lines is the parent company for Holland America and Princess Cruises, Westoby said. This means fewer coaches may be needed, he said.
Last year, there were 20 three-ship days — all Saturdays. Of those, there were eight days which saw three ships arriving at 6 p.m. or later, he said.
Coaches carry between 39 and
84 passengers, with most from 58 to 60, said Ross, who hopes to see more efficient use of the coaches this year.
The survey revealed strong use of taxis, which typically charge $10 to reach downtown, while a shuttle bus charges $10 per person. Passengers may choose taxis because they can split the cost, Ross said.
Also, taxis are available immediately and there may be a wait for a shuttle bus, she said. Double decker shuttles carry 84 passengers and low-profile shuttles have room for 35.
