On Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:26:40 +0000, Offramp
wrote:
There are IMO two big problems with commuting by boat. One is the price.
I wish it would all be travelcard-related. The other is the stoppins at
each stop time, especially in bad weather. It takes quite a while to get
one of these boats properly moored up. I don't have a solution for that
- but I suppose people have been thinking about that for 10,000 years.

Perhaps there are other examples but I'm always amazed about the
services on Lake Zurich. Both problems you mention are solved there,
although is a lake less affected by weather than a tidal river? Or
are they mooring in a way that some other countries wouldn't allow in
passenger service? (Not suggesting that they are.)

I didn't think a ship could leave anywhere, even Switzerland, at
exactly 1341 - I was wrong (and so were the people running for it!).

Richard.

In message , Richard
writes

Perhaps there are other examples but I'm always amazed about the
services on Lake Zurich. Both problems you mention are solved there,
although is a lake less affected by weather than a tidal river? Or
are they mooring in a way that some other countries wouldn't allow in
passenger service? (Not suggesting that they are.)

The big difference on the Thames is the tide: both the rise and fall,
and the strength of the tidal flow.

In somewhere like Venice, where there is normally very little difference
between high and low tide, and only very gentle tidal flows, water buses
can dock in seconds and are held by a single rope in a double
figure-of-eight. The total time at most landing stages, including
docking, is often no more than one minute (i.e. comparable to tube
stops).

--
Paul Terry

"Paul Terry" wrote in message
...
In message , Richard
writes

Perhaps there are other examples but I'm always amazed about the
services on Lake Zurich. Both problems you mention are solved there,
although is a lake less affected by weather than a tidal river? Or
are they mooring in a way that some other countries wouldn't allow in
passenger service? (Not suggesting that they are.)

The big difference on the Thames is the tide: both the rise and fall, and
the strength of the tidal flow.

In somewhere like Venice, where there is normally very little difference
between high and low tide, and only very gentle tidal flows, water buses
can dock in seconds and are held by a single rope in a double
figure-of-eight. The total time at most landing stages, including docking,
is often no more than one minute (i.e. comparable to tube stops).


It'll be all right by 2012 though, Ken is going to re-arrange the tides so
that high water slack always occurs in the morning & evening peaks, so that
berthing is much easier...

If that is succesful, one man operated bendy-ferries will be introduced,
these will stretch right across the river, from bank to bank, but won't have
any effect at all on other traffic...

Paul S

On 4 Jan, 12:32, "Paul Scott" wrote:
"Paul Terry" wrote in message

...





In message , Richard
writes

Perhaps there are other examples but I'm always amazed about the
services on Lake Zurich. *Both problems you mention are solved there,
although is a lake less affected by weather than a tidal river? *Or
are they mooring in a way that some other countries wouldn't allow in
passenger service? *(Not suggesting that they are.)

The big difference on the Thames is the tide: both the rise and fall, and
the strength of the tidal flow.

In somewhere like Venice, where there is normally very little difference
between high and low tide, and only very gentle tidal flows, water buses
can dock in seconds and are held by a single rope in a double
figure-of-eight. The total time at most landing stages, including docking,
is often no more than one minute (i.e. comparable to tube stops).

It'll be all right by 2012 though, Ken is going to re-arrange the tides so
that high water slack always occurs in the morning & evening peaks, so that
berthing is much easier...

If that is succesful, one man operated bendy-ferries will be introduced,
these will stretch right across the river, from bank to bank, but won't have
any effect at all on other traffic...

Paul S- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Of course there will be cycle lanes too.