Not only is Sandbanks the most expensive place for property, (front of the Echo on Thursday 13th April with a house at £11.5 million), the Sandbanks Ferry must be the most expensive transportation in the World, shortly to be £0.90 for a pedestrian and £3 for a car. The distance travelled is circa 1,060 feet, (depending on the tide), or a fifth of a statute mile making it the equivalent of £4.50 and £15 a mile respectively, or say £45 to Wareham on the bus ! The ferry carries about 48 cars equal to £720 a mile. Could be that the Essex owner of the company is buying the house at £11.5 million, they could afford to.
There is a Public Inquiry at the Knoll House on 26th April at 10am to ask if the increase is justified ! A tunnel would be cheaper, or even Concord. The license was granted by act of Parliament which could be repealed by petition. Now there’s a thought.
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Posted by Anonymous to swanage view at 4/15/2006 05:17:01 PM
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7 comments:
A point of interest - it's £5.20 per car per single crossing on the Corran Ferry in Scotland. And that's to cross a distance of a furlong and a half!
With the current cost of petrol its cheaper for me to drive the long way round than pay to use the ferry !
I have to dispute that it is cheaper to drive round than use the ferry if you cost your mileage on more than just petrol useage. To take account of road tax, depreciation, servicing costs etc.,you should cost your journey at approx., 50p a mile, the figure the taxman allows business users; the return journey of say 50 miles would effectively cost you £25.00, whilst the return ferry journey of say 24 miles plus 2 tickets @ full price works out at £18.00.
The last comment confuses the marginal cost of making an additional journey with the average cost per mile of running a car. You have to pay for depreciation, insurance, tax etc whatever mileage you drive. The extra cost of making a longer journey is only fuel and wear and tear and servicing costs. That makes it more like 5p a mile above the fuel cost.
Fixed costs are by far the largest item in owning a car and when you add in the interest you are paying on the money you have borrowed to buy the thing in the first place the total is frightening.
If we were to return to a system of public transport as it used to be, there would be no need for The Ferry to transport so many cars.
I now have a Free Bus Pass.
Cars! ... Tax them off the road!
Tony_j
A return to public transport has a lot of merits but there needs to be some carrots as well as taxation sticks. I went over to Poole on the bus recently and it was a pretty aweful experience. The comfort level was the worst thing. A 1920 charabanc would have been preferable. You sit bolt upright on the 143 with your kness pressed against the seat in front or legs folded sideways into some peculiar contortion. The journey took twice as long as going by car and cost almost a fiver. The fact is we are given a second rate local public transport service which is used only by those with no choice. Until the various levels of government get up the courage to spend large amounts of money on it it will remain that way.
By way of contrast the rest of my journey to London was on a comfortable and almost roomy coach and cost only £6!
Keith Roker
The comments by Kieth about his journey to Poole don't surprise me one bit. Wilts and Dorset has decided to starve Swanage of any investment and now looks likely to run down the service further. The local travel office is to close next month and there is a real threat to the depot's continued existence. Modern low floor buses with excellent ride are available, but not for us. The ferry lift on some of the current vehicles is the excuse given. To see so many elderly passengers trying to use their free pass, but stuggling to even board the bus is heartbreaking. You should all be aware that W&D want to pull out of all low return country routes because of the serious defecits incurred in their futile war with Yellows in Bournmouth. The 150 is safe for now because it's just about the only profitable route they have left!
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