Larkspur Ferry Officials Float Ideas For Dealing With Increasing Ridership
LARKSPUR (KCBS) - Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District officials have one of those "good problems" on their hands: their Larkspur to San Francisco ferry service is a popular one with commuters. So much so that riders are engaging in a daily dash for parking spaces, not to mention a scramble for a seat on a boat.
Considering that all 1,800 parking spaces at the Larkspur Ferry Terminal are often completely spoken for by 8:30 a.m. - far before the end of the morning commute - the transit system has committed to riders that it will look for some solutions to accommodate more ferry riders. After all, the ferry system itself can handle 2,600 passengers any given morning.
Larkspur Ferry Riding the Waves of Success
"The math does not add up," acknowledged Public Affairs Director for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, Mary Currie. "So people are either carpooling or we're seeing a lot more parking on Sir Francis Drake Blvd. than we ever used to see. We've expanded this lot three times, we can't take out one more curb or one more plant to fit in one more parking spot."
Under consideration are charging for parking, building a parking structure, offering interim parking at surrounding properties and adding another ferry boat to the commute schedule.
"We're definitely tapped out in terms of our footprint here," said Currie. "So we do have to really look at what can we do short-term and what can we do long-term to keep our customers having a convenient experience."
There was no immediate word about when or how these possibilities would be put into action.
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