Drivers waiting longer at Glenora ferry this month

By Shelden Rogers

Glenora ferry lineups will be getting a little bigger this month with the loss of a second ferry.

The ferry will be making its trips across the Bay of Quinte every half an hour compared to every 15 minutes with a second ferry.

Lineups at the ferry can already pile up, and with the loss of a ferry, some drivers are considering avoiding it completely.

Jeremy Jansen works for Quinte Boatdocks and uses the ferry often. He didn’t even know there was only one ferry.

“I have to go to Belleville, so had I would have known the wait was going to be this long I would have gone through Napanee instead,” said Jansen.

He said waiting on a weekday is one thing, but he can’t imagine what it will be like now on weekends.

“It will be nuts. I won’t come thorough here on a weekend. Absolutely not,” said Jansen.

The Glenora ferry service normally operates two ferry from mid June until Thanksgiving.

The second ferry has been departed to Amherst Island to help with the delay of ferry repairs in Kingston. Spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation, Brandy Duhaime said the second ferry is expected to be back around July 15^th.

Daily commuter of the ferry Dianne Flood said this is a terrible time of year to only have one ferry.

“This is going to be a problem at this time of year. For people like me living around here you get to depend on this ferry service. I know it’s not their fault, but I wish they would have found out that the boats need repairs earlier,” said Flood.

Other commuters don’t mind the wait. Peter MacDougall said it’s worth it considering what the roads offer.

“The traffic is slower, the view is better, no 401 hassle. Having only one ferry isn’t the end of the world,” said MacDougall.