A lake ferry operator and a major residential developer have teamed up to help relieve chronic traffic congestion in Queenstown’s southern corridor. Iraj Barabi’s Watersports Ltd, which operates the Orbus ferries between Queenstown Bay and Frankton Arm, has proposed two boats — eventually carrying up to 200 passengers each — to run between Homestead Bay, Queenstown Bay and Frankton Beach. Developer RCL Group is driving the initiative for its Homestead Bay subdivision, which has fast-tracked consent for 2800 homes. Residents regularly caught up in traffic jams on State Highway 6 could be the first to benefit. According to public transport patronage studies, a 20-minute service between Homestead Bay and the Queenstown CBD could carry up to 400 people an hour — or a third of those travelling in vehicles in the same direction on the southern corridor. “When it comes to making travel decisions, we think plenty of people will be attracted to the idea of travelling on the beautiful Lake Wakatipu,” Mr Barabi said. “It’s a no-brainer for us and we were pleased when we started talking with RCL that they agree.” A Silicon Valley entrepreneur who splits his time between Queenstown and the United States, Mr Barabi developed Frankton Arm’s Queenstown Marina and in May last year took over Queenstown Water Taxis. Since then, Watersports Ltd has operated the Otago Regional Council’s Orbus ferries and expanded it to an hourly service, resulting in 30% more patronage over the past year. Given this success and the dire state of the local road network, Mr Barabi said the time was right to realise his vision for upscaled ferry services on the lake. His company and RCL had been in discussions for more than a year and undertaken feasibility studies. RCL designed Homestead Bay to allow bus services that would connect with a ferry service, and was also looking at park-and-ride options. Watersports Ltd engaged Bellingham Marine — Queenstown Marina’s builder — for designs, wave studies and costings for a “light touch” wharf. It is also looking at options for Frankton’s wharf to further enhance transport options in the area, including from the airport. Mr Barabi said diesel, hybrid and electric boat options that could operate in a variety of weathers had been investigated — he recently checked out Australia’s largest ferry manufacturer, Incat, in Hobart. Including supporting infrastructure, two boats would cost over $10 million — far less than any roading upgrades. With the first Homestead Bay titles due late next year, Mr Barabi said he was keen to get a service running sooner rather than later, with frequency and vessel size increasing over time. Asked whether he would seek fast-track consent, he said “our current advice has been that may not be necessary if there is sufficient support from the community and key stakeholders in the Resource Management Act process”. RCL Group chief executive David Wightman said Queenstown had shown in the past it could respond to its growth challenges, “particularly when private investment is well leveraged”. “We now see a great deal of community concern about transport infrastructure. “There needs to be investment in state highways, which we will be contributing toward and we see getting behind ferry services as another way we can support the development of Queenstown’s transport network that keeps pace with growth.” Both parties have said they would be happy to participate in the upcoming mayoral taskforce on traffic congestion which mayor John Glover announced last Friday. “The mayor and community appear eager to hear about ideas that can make a difference quickly,” Mr Barabi said. “If we are all aligned towards a common goal, ferry services can be brought on board much quicker than most other options, with less disruption.” RCL is not the only local developer looking at the so-called “blue highway” as an alternative to the clogged road network. Kingston Village Ltd is investigating boat transport to connect the lakeside village with Queenstown and six months ago trialled an electric hydrofoil ferry in partnership with marine innovator, Vessev. scoop@odt.co.nz
