WATCH: BC Ferries has added extra sailing this holiday weekend and says for foot passengers, it’s the busiest weekend of the year. So if you’re hoping to get away from all the hustle and bustle, avoiding peak times is your best bet. Luisa Alvarez reports.
BC Ferries is preparing for the volume. They say its the busiest weekend of the year for foot passengers.
Tents are up outside the terminal and lineups for foot passengers are expected to go past the doors. They’ve also added extra sailings to prepare for the increased volume.
“We’ve got lots of extra sailings particularly on the Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay route, which is our busiest route of the fleet. We’ve added extra 80 sailings on that particular route alone,” said Executive Director for BC ferries Public Affairs Deborah Marshall.
It’s going to be hard to avoid the chaos but choosing to skip peak times is a good bet, said Marshall.
“I took the day so that I wouldn’t have to be on a sold-out sailing,” said traveller Sierra Skelton.
BC Ferries suggest foot passengers get to the terminal 45 minutes to an hour before their sailing just to be safe, especially on the Monday, which has traditionally been the busiest day for foot passengers.
Those driving should have a reservation. There was already a sailing wait on the Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen route since early Friday afternoon.
The most popular times for drivers are expected to be Friday afternoon and Saturday morning for traffic moving from the Tsawwassen and Horseshoe Bay terminals to Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.
“It’s a great idea to check out our current conditions on our website before you head out to our terminals that will show you how busy our terminals are,” said Marshall.
As for drivers staying on Vancouver Island, it’s the inaugural long weekend for a newly improved Malahat. More than five-kilometres of the highway are now open to four lanes of traffic.
Luisa Alvarez
