Ferry questions remain unanswered

Fast Ships chairman Mr Alf Salter states that people questioning the proposal were "acting out of self interest" to stifle development or had not had the opportunity to fully appraise the advantages.

Some of us have purchased the Fast Ferry document and noted the conditions set by council.

We await a feasibility study on the passenger catchment for the ferry.

Will people that can afford to catch the ferry be happy to leave their vehicles on the side streets at Ettalong?

An original condition of consent was that Fast Ships build a wharf and Government would buy it back at termination of the 50-year lease.

Fast Ships advertising at the time stated that "because Fast Ships is building a pnvately-funded wharf and terminal to the value of $4.3 million on government-owned land, financiers insist that we have an undertaking from government to purchase back the infrastructure when the land is returned to the community under the terms of the lease. This is the only guarantee the company is seeking from Government".

Latest news is that the taxpayer will now pay the $4.3m for the wharf and Gosford Council has agreed to cut the annual rental fee on two large beachfront blocks in half, costing the ratepayers of Gosford $50,000 per year.

This company, Fast Ships, is taking us for a ride and it's not on the water.

If this was a serious proposal, the only place to provide parking is under the Ettalong Club as the club will be one of the largest beneficiaries from all the tourists that arrive by ferry and don't need to find a parking place while the residents of the Esplanade will have to put up with the noise and inconvenience of this large vessel on their doorsteps

Incredibly, in the Fast Ferry document that Mr Salter refers to, it is suggested that volunteers will stand on the bow to spot for whales in the migration season as there is no radar or sonar that can reliably detect whales.

Service cannot be guaranteed every day because of sea conditions.

There are many questions that remain unanswered about this proposal.

Save Our Suburbs remain unconvinced that this will ever be a reliable and quick commuter service.

That is the first condition that council set when this proposal emerged.

Mark Ellis, Save Our Suburbs