Mixed news for activists in report that says passengers will save four minutes with Island airport tunnel
We admit it; we can’t get enough news about the possible pedestrian tunnel to Billy Bishop Airport on the Island. We love the combination of passion on both sides for an issue that, frankly, won’t actually affect the final outcome that much. The latest news is from the Globe and Mail, which got a city report on the tunnel through an Access to Information request, is that the $50-million tunnel will save passengers about four minutes, compared to the present situation with the ferry.
The newly released report, by international aviation consultants Airbiz.aero, used computer modelling to determine that a passenger using the proposed underwater tunnel would wait just over five minutes for check-in and security screening, on average.
Passengers on the free ferry, which runs every 15 minutes, wait just over nine minutes at check-in and security.
That’s the good news, as far as opponents to the tunnel (and Porter, and the airport) are concerned. The bad news is what we hinted at earlier: the report makes it clear that in and of itself, the tunnel won’t actually increase demand for flights out of Billy Bishop. This point was hammered home last year when the number of “slots” at the airport was increased after plans for the tunnel had been temporarily shelved. That’s not to say there aren’t arguments against the tunnel (and yes, $50 million to save a few minutes per passenger sounds small), but opponents to the tunnel might think twice before banging on this report.
• Tunnel would save island airport passengers four minutes, report says [Globe and Mail]
