River Dart Ferries

So South Hams Council is not proposing to replace the Lower Ferry to meet the competition from the planned larger, faster Higher Ferry.  However the prospect of a new Higher Ferry, able to take to full load of cross-river traffic, gives the opportunity to rethink the whole matter of the River Dart ferry crossings.

Kingswear is a village of only 500 inhabitants and at peak times the ferry queue to the Lower Ferry stretches right through the village and out the other side.  Elsewhere a village in our situation would have long campaigned for a bypass.  Well we have one already – it is the Higher Ferry.  If the new Higher Ferry can take the full load and cross more quickly then why not let it do just that.   Very few of the cars come from Kingswear itself and it would be no problem for the through traffic to take the higher route.  Kingswear would be transformed if there were no ferry queue, no noise, no fumes and no road gridlocks.

There is a downside however.  The Village Stores and the Post Office obtain business from frustrated car occupants waiting in the ferry queue.  With the Government trying to close village post offices we do not need anything that might reduce their trade.  However in at least some other areas, which have feared the lost of passing traffic, this has not proved to be the case.  In fact what has happened is that the shops, clear of much of the traffic, have been more patronised by the local residents.  Many houses in Kingswear are at the top of steep hills.  Their residents naturally use their cars when shopping.  But they cannot park near the shops in Kingswear so they drive off to Brixham or Paignton.  With no ferry queue we could have parking along the length of Fore Street.

There could be similar benefits for Dartmouth too.  Much of the town traffic comes from the Lower Ferry.  Perhaps Lower Street, and even Fairfax Place, could be pedestrianised except for delivery vehicles.  With no ferry queue more shopping parking space could be provided on the South Embankment which would be welcomed by the local shops for whom the focus of the shopping area is likely to move out of town to the new Sainsbury and Lidl.

We need a thorough impact assessment taking traffic, road safety, pollution, commerce and services into account.  Now would be a good time.

Michael Stevens