Horseshoe Bay is a major ferry terminal owned and operated by BC Ferries in British Columbia, Canada. Located in the community of Horseshoe Bay, a neighbourhood of West Vancouver, the terminal provides a vehicle ferry link from the Lower Mainland to Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, and to Bowen Island, a small island in the southern part of Howe Sound.
Horseshoe Bay | |
|---|---|
| Ferry terminal | |
 A ferry departing the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal. | |
| General information | |
| Location | 6750 Keith Road West Vancouver, British Columbia Canada |
| Coordinates | 49°22′35″N 123°16′16″W / 49.37639°N 123.27111°W |
| Owned by | BC Ferries |
| Operated by | BC Ferries |
| Line(s) | Route 2–Departure Bay Route 3–Langdale Route 8–Snug Cove |
| Bus routes | 3 |
| Bus stands | 1 |
| Bus operators | |
| Connections |
|
| Construction | |
| Parking |
|
| Accessible | Yes |
| Other information | |
| Station code | HSB[1] |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Opened | 1951 |
| Original company | Black Ball Lines |
| Key dates | |
| 1961 | Acquired by the Government of British Columbia[2] |
| Passengers | |
| 2023 | 3 514 666[Note 1]  3.56% |
Comprising three berths, Horseshoe Bay is the third largest BC Ferries terminal, after Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay.[citation needed]
Establishment and expansion
editIn 1951, the Black Ball Line leased a wharf and began a service to Gibsons[2] (later relocated to Langdale).[3] In 1953, a new route to Departure Bay in Nanaimo was established.[4] In 1956, services to Bowen Island began when Black Ball replaced the Union Steamship Company of British Columbia.[5]
In 1961, the provincial government purchased the various Black Ball operations.[6] In the late 1960s, the terminal was reconstructed and expanded.[7][8] In 1976, a new upper deck loading ramp was built.[9]
In 2002, substantial improvements were completed at a cost of $39 million, which primarily addressed traffic awaiting embarkation on ferries. Holding stalls increased from 650 to 1,265 by absorbing former highway, removing a freeway bridge and truck runaway lane, and reconfiguring a highway interchange. Additional construction included a 450-car underground parkade and new buildings for foot passengers, amenities and maintenance.[10] A $250 million upgrade of the terminal is planned for the 2020s.[11]
On March 28, 2022, the first seismic sensor for British Columbia's earthquake early warning system was installed at the Horseshoe Bay terminal.[12]
Popular culture
editFerry rides from Horseshoe Bay are described by fictional characters in the novel The Cat's Table, by Booker Prize-winning author Michael Ondaatje, and in the short story What is Remembered, by Nobel Prize-winning author Alice Munro.
Incidents and accidents
edit- 1966: Langdale Queen ran over a nearby rowboat; both occupants survived.[13]
- 1982: Queen of Surrey rammed the dock, causing significant damage.[14]
- 1985: Three occupants were killed when Queen of Cowichan ran over a pleasure boat near the terminal.[15]
- 1989: A structural steel load on an arriving truck shifted, striking seven parked vehicles and injuring two women in the holding lot.[16]
- 1990: After brakes failed, a loaded truck struck a parked van and spilled hot asphalt, killing two of the occupants and injuring others.[17] The truck driver received an 18-month sentence, increased to five years on appeal.[18] At a new trial, the driver was found guilty of dangerous driving but not criminal negligence.[19]
- 1991: Robbers stole $12,000 in coin from a safe at the terminal.[20]
- 1995: Queen of Coquitlam slammed into pilings, damaging its bow.[21]
- 2005: Queen of Oak Bay lost control and smashed into a number of private boats at the marina in Horseshoe Bay; no fatalities were reported.[22]
- 2019: A crew member was significantly injured after being hit by the Queen of Cowichan's bow door, which was having trouble opening at the terminal.[23]
- 2022: A minor rock slide on January 2 closed the parkade for rock removal and structural repairs. The parkade was re-opened on May 18, 2022.[24][25]
Gallery
edit-
Cars lining up at the terminal. -
A ferry departing the terminal. -
Queen of Oak Bay departing the terminal. -
Entrance to the terminal. -
Queen of Capilano arrives at the terminal.
Notes
edit- ^ Figures obtained for 2022 & 2023 from adding the passengers counted at Horseshoe Bay from the routes 2, 3, and 8 in each month of the calendar year.[1] The figures under "Total Prev Year" are not used because those denote fiscal years instead of calendar years. The total passenger count at Horseshoe Bay for 2022 was 3 393 770.
References
edit- ^ a b "Plans, Reports, Policies and Other Resources". Connecting the Coast | BC Ferries. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ^ a b "Horseshoe Bay". hp.bccna.bc.ca. Retrieved 2016-11-05.
- ^ Little, Gary. "Black Ball Ferries 1951–1961". www.garylittle.ca.
- ^ "New Ferry Link for Nanaimo". The Daily Colonist. Victoria, British Columbia. 30 Sep 1952. p. 3 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Crilly, Martin Laurence (1973). Analysis of British Columbia Ferries and its Commercial Vehicle Policy (MBA). University of British Columbia. p. 70 (57).
- ^ "CP Considering Ways to Compete With Black Ball". Prince George Citizen. 6 Dec 1961. p. 1 – via Prince George Newspapers.
- ^ "Bids Opened On Terminal". The Daily Colonist. Victoria, British Columbia. 4 Nov 1967. p. 10 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ The British Columbia Road Runner. Vol. 5, no. 3. Department of Highways. Sep 1968. p. 2 https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/driving-and-transportation/reports-and-reference/road-runner/newsletters/1968_09_september.pdf#page=2.
{{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "New ferry hurdles obstacles". The Daily Colonist. Victoria, British Columbia. 27 Jul 1976. p. 41 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Furtado, Glen, M.A.Sc., EIT; Hobbs, Steve, P.Eng (1 Jan 2003). "TRANSPORTATION: Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal". Canadian Consulting Engineer. Association of Canadian Engineering Companies.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Chan, Kenneth (19 Sep 2019). "BC Ferries planning world-class hub upgrade for Horseshoe Bay terminal (RENDERINGS)". Daily Hive. Vancouver: ZoomerMedia.
- ^ Kotyk, Alyse (29 March 2022). "1st sensor for Canada's early earthquake warning system installed in B.C." CTV News. Bell Media.
- ^ "Man 'Run Over' By Ferry". Prince George Citizen. 24 Jan 1966. p. 5 – via Prince George Newspapers.
- ^ "Bad month on ferries". Prince George Citizen. 1 Sep 1982. p. 3 – via Prince George Newspapers.
- ^ "Boat operators blamed for deaths". Prince George Citizen. 7 Mar 1986. p. 9 – via Prince George Newspapers.
- ^ "Two hurt at terminal". Prince George Citizen. 18 Jul 1989. p. 2 – via Prince George Newspapers.
- ^ "Grieving man lashes out after ferry terminal mishap". Prince George Citizen. 10 Jul 1990. p. 2 – via Prince George Newspapers.
- ^ "Out on bail". Prince George Citizen. 4 Sep 1992. p. 2 – via Prince George Newspapers.
- ^ "Truck driver guilty". Prince George Citizen. 13 Feb 1995. p. 2 – via Prince George Newspapers.
- ^ "Heavy money". Sunshine Coast News. 18 May 1991. p. 8 – via UBC Library.
- ^ "Ferry slams into pilings". Prince George Citizen. 21 Oct 1995. p. 17 – via Prince George Newspapers.
- ^ "Marine Investigation Report M92W1022". Transportation Safety Board of Canada. 24 May 2007.
- ^ NanaimoNewsNOW Staff (19 Oct 2019). "Ferry worker injured on Queen of Cowichan hospitalized, 2 sailings cancelled". NanaimoNewsNOW.
- ^ Judd, Amy (January 3, 2022). "Rock slide forces closure of BC Ferries parkade at Horseshoe Bay terminal". Global News. Corus Entertainment. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- ^ @BCFerries (2022-05-18). "#BCFHeadsUp - The parkade at our #HorseshoeBay Terminal has been fully repaired and is now open for business! We sincerely appreciate your patience throughout the repairs. ^ab" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-07-31 – via Twitter.