We can fix the city’s traffic woes, says shipbuilder Bob Clifford

COMMUTER ferries spanning Greater Hobart would ease the city’s traffic congestion, says Incat chairman Bob Clifford.

Craig, Robert (Bob) and Kim Clifford at Incat fro Sunday Tasmanian.

COMMUTER ferries spanning Greater Hobart would ease the city’s traffic congestion, says Incat chairman Bob Clifford.

The shipbuilder, whose fortunes started with a ferry service, said he would provide the vessels if a network of wharves was funded.

Mr Clifford said the current proposal for light rail was limited to the northern suburbs, whereas ferries could service more of Hobart.

“The wharves would go where the people are,” he said.

He said the River Derwent was a natural and under-utilised highway that could take people from Hobart to the north, south and east.

Though Mr Clifford has made a call for a Hobart ferry revival intermittently over the decades, he said the present traffic chaos made the case more pressing.

He said people were now stuck in peak-hour traffic when they could be covering the distances faster on water.

In a northerly direction, ferries could stop at the Botanical Gardens, MONA, Claremont, Austins Ferry and Granton.

They could go east to Bellerive, Howrah, Tranmere and South Arm. Heading south they could go to the casino, Sandy Bay and Kingston.

Mr Clifford said the enterprise could be made profitable if it also had a tourism component, offering lunchtime cruises and night charters when not used by peak-hour passengers.

Last week Incat sent two fast ferries to Sydney, to join two Incat ferries already on the Manly to Circular Quay run.

A future ferry revival was backed by Hobart City Council Alderman Helen Burnet, who said Hobart’s river was a logical answer to the traffic woes.

The Department of State Growth said it had not received any specific proposal for a passenger ferry service, but all ideas to alleviate traffic congestion were welcome.

Rail Action Group president Ben Johnston said light rail would better suit the northern suburbs because a ferry could not reach west into the populated areas of Moonah, Glenorchy and Claremont.

But he said there could still be room for ferries in Hobart.