Prospect Of Bay Circle Line: Making Waves Of Imagination

By Michael Nolan

Your relatives back East are coming to San Francisco. They’re still not sure why you migrated to California and want some convincing answers. You’ve got to show the Bay Area at its best. And there’s the clue… the Bay itself… that magnificent body of water that unifies this scenically spectacular region.

To orient your guests, you’ve chosen a trip on the Sausalito Ferry with its marvelous views of the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, the San Francisco skyline, Alcatraz and Angel Islands, and gentle approach to the Sausalito waterfront.

But hold on a minute, what if this were only the first leg of a circle route around the entire Bay? This exciting water travel experience is exactly what your friends at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) and the Water Transit Authority are currently envisioning.

GGNRA, a division of the National Park Service, was created by Congress in 1972 and is the largest urban park in the country. It embraces many shoreline parks potentially accessible by boat, including Fort Mason, Fort Baker, Alcatraz Island and Crissy Field in the Presidio. Last year GGNRA initiated a Ferry Access Study on the desirability of water shuttle access to park sites with piers in the Bay "thereby enhancing the visitor experience and providing alternative means (besides automobile) to reach the park."

Using circular or radial routes, a recreational traveler can visit two or three sites in a day with little or no driving required. The options are numerous. Picture boarding a ferry at Fort Mason, crossing the Golden Gate to Fort Baker, then on to Sausalito, Tiburon, Angel Island, Berkeley, Alameda, Candlestick State Park, PacBell Park, the Ferry Building, Fisherman’s Wharf and back to Ft. Mason. These tours can be enhanced with island hops to Treasure and Alcatraz Islands.

The prospect of a Bay circle line that touched down is already inspiring waves of imagination.

"I believe that our most underutilized resource in San Francisco is the Bay," comments John Marks, President & CEO of the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Not only would a circle route provide trips to various points around the Bay, but there is no better way to enjoy the beauty of the region. We think San Francisco looks good from land but from the water, it’s magical," says Marks, a native San Franciscan and now a Marin County resident.

"The key to making it work is a high level of frequency, record of dependability, and quality of service both for the resident and visitor markets."

Marks was inspired by what he saw on Italy’s Lake Como where an extensive network of ferry transportation carries tourists from Bellagio to Mennagio and other points around the Alpine lake.

Richmond resident and sailing enthusiast Lucie Van Breen delights at the recreational possibilities. "I’d love to ride my bike from the Harbor Bay Island ferry to the bird sanctuary on the tip of Alameda Island and then to the Martin Luther King Shoreline Park and the Western Aerospace Museum. I could also visit the Rosenblum Cellars at the Alameda Ferry Terminal. The USS Hornet would be a gentle bike ride from there."

Ms. Van Breen misses the discontinued Richmond ferry. "It’s the closest I’ve been to my neighbors. You never think of talking to your fellow passengers on a bus."

Ferries can bring visitors and locals to many restaurant, shopping and entertainment attractions. Oakland’s Jack London Square, for example, affords the ferry rider a tempting array of eating establishments, blues and salsa clubs, bookstores and retail outlets.

The creation of the Eastshore State Park has fostered growing interest in easy public transit access to these open spaces. Local citizens and park planners are now looking at a variety of recreational alternatives including shoreline trails, wildlife observation points, picnic and turfgrass areas, and launch ramps for kayaks. The Eastshore State Park comprises about 1,800 acres of wetlands, beaches and uplands along eight miles between Oakland and Richmond. The property has spectacular views of the Bay and San Francisco.

Just to the north, the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline has become an attractive park for group picnics, joggers and bicyclists, fishermen and kite fliers. The Golden State Model Railroad Museum is right across from the park entrance.

GGNRA is surveying riders and potential riders to gauge the actual interest in new ferry routes. They are looking not only at visitor flow but also at potential terminal sites, environmental issues such as "wake erosion" caused by ferries, and business issues facing ferry operators that would make recreational routes economically feasible. The GGNRA expect to report results from its study by June. It will then integrate its studies with current WTA research on ridership estimates and costs.

GGNRA planning chief Mike Savidge said, "We want our survey to complement the WTA’s research." As they look at park and beach attendance numbers, planners will inquire whether a policy of improved public park access justifies investment in piers and ferries to serve these sites, and some form of subsidy for the service.

The WTA’s study of recreational ferry routes is part of a larger study that deals with water transit as a means to alleviate traffic congestion in a cost-effective, convenient and environmentally responsible system. WTA must submit its findings and recommendations to the California Legislature in the form of an Environmental Impact Report and an Implementation and Operations Plan by June of 2003.

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