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be double ended. The design provides for vehicles and passengers embarking or dis- embarking at either end of the boat. When the ferry boat is berthed, a double deck ramp about 85 feet in length would provide facilities for traffic between the decks and the roadway. The ramp would be hinged at the shore end in such a manner as to permit the seaward end to be raised or lowered and thus provide for adjusting the outward end of the ramp to the level of the boat deck, whilst the shore end of the ramp remains at the street level. The ramp would require to be operated by mechanical power as the con- struction of pontoons for this purpose is not practical. The steepest grade on ramps will be about 1 in 9; this would occur at low water of extraordinary Spring Tides.
It was purposed that the ferry boats should be designed for a speed of about 10 knots, i.e. a crossing including time occupied in berthing will take about 10 minutes. A period of 10 minutes at berths should be ample time for unloading and loading of boats. Two ferry boats should therefore provide a twenty minute service. A faster service may be necessary at certain periods of the day. For this purpose, and for the proper main- tenance of a 20 minute service, it is considered that three vehicular ferry boats are
necessary.
ESTIMATED COST.
The estimated cost of establishing the proposed vehicular ferry service is as follows:-
Jordan Road:
Reclamation, Ferry Pier and Offices (Estimate includes about
$75,000 for offices)
$520,000.00
Hong Kong Site:
Reclamation, Ferry Pier, Offices, Taking over V.R.C. property and Road Formation. (Estimate includes about $75,000 for
offices and $125,000 to replace Murray Pier)
620,000.00
Ferry Boats:
3 Nos. Vehicular & Passenger Ferry Boats.
Total Cost of piers, and ferry boats....
750,000.00
$1,890,000.00
REVENUE.
Whilst the cost of operating the proposed ferry service can be estimated with some degree of accuracy, the volume of traffic which would make use of the vehicular ferry is not known. In consequence, a correct estimate of receipts could not be framed; however, in order to show how the vehicular ferry service would be required to operate in order to give a satisfactory return for the first year, the following assumptions were made.
(a). Twenty minute service.
(b). Ferry boats to ply between 6 a.m. and 12 midnight, thus making 108
trips per day.
(c). An average of 4 vehicles carried per trip.
(d). An average of 30 first class and 20 third class passengers carried per trip.