Brisbane - City Cats and Ferries

[DionM]

Does anyone take their bike on a city cat or ferry regularly?

I looked at the BCC site and I saw this:

CityCats and Council ferries

You can take bikes on all CityCat and Council ferry services (subject to space availability).

Cyclists should take extra care to avoid inconvenience to other passengers.

What does the "subject to space availability" and "to avoid inconvenience to other passengers" mean, exactly? Does it mean that in peak hour, you'll be left behind if it's a near-full ferry, and that non-bike passengers get preference?

I am contemplating riding from Coorparoo to Virginia (home to work), and I need to cross the river. I was planning to either get on at East Brisbane ferry terminal and use a city cat down to Brett's Wharf (in the morning, so opposite to peak hour flow); or use the little cross river ferry that runs from Norman Park to New Farm Park.

Can you take a bike on the really little cross river ferries? If I am travelling against the peak hour flow on a city cat, should I be right for a lift most times?

Am I going to smell too much and not be let on in case I "inconvenience" anyone?

[MountGower]

Dion

I am at Coorparoo and ride to Northgate. There is no reason to break the journey with a ferry trip. It will only cost you time. What time do you leave? Or what time do you need to arrive at Virginia?

[beanspropulsion]

Dion

I am at Coorparoo and ride to Northgate. There is no reason to break the journey with a ferry trip. It will only cost you time. What time do you leave? Or what time do you need to arrive at Virginia?

I'm wjth MountGower on this one. By the time you've waited for the ferry wouldn't it of been quicker to go across the Storey Bridge. Then through valley, Montpellier road, Abbotsford Road and onto Sandgate Rd?

[DionM]

I was going to break the trip to catch my breath Only just starting out ...

I would be riding to get there by 7.30 / 7.45 or so. I was planning on going around the back of the big hill - up Racecourse Rd, and towards Toombul ...

[MountGower]

Dion

I'm doing my wet weather ride in the morning, which is a bike path ride to Redcliffe via Michelton. I will leave around 5.30. This ride starts out on your commute so I will PM you my phone number. Phone me in the morning if you want to be shown the way over there. I'm off to bed now.

[beauyboy]

Generally City Cats will take on bikes during peak hour even on the peak flow direction. The new Cats are designed and fitted with bike rack. Personally if I was you and I was to be using the CityCat/Cross river I would be doing the CityCat from Malbray Park (East Brisbane) to Bretts Wharf.
Three things make this option better then using the Norman Park cross River.
A- it will be the same fare zone 2 to zone 2 for either option
B- the City Cats adhere to there timetable more closely
C- you will avoid having to ride along the Kingsford Smith Drive and riding around the Newstead development.

After you have been riding for long enough you may start to feel you will be able to ride across the Story Bridge and skip the ferry. To put this in perpective I use to go to Morningside Tafe and live in New Farm. Originally I would ride from tafe to Malbray Park catch the Cat across the river to Sydney St. After six months I stopped and just started riding across Storey Bridge.

What ever you chose good luck and you deserve Congratulations.

Donald

[DionM]

MountGower - many thanks for the offer. I'm down and out with a cold at present so not much long riding going on for me. Maybe next time (but even then I think I would hold you up pretty badly )

beauyboy - thanks for the info. Yes I had a preference for the city cat due to the longer hop, though I wasn't sure about if I would fare better on it than a crossriver in terms of space and availabilty for a bike to be let on.

[russellgarrard]

Be careful, some of the citycat staff are outright arseholes and refuse to carry bicycles even when no one is using the service!

[beauyboy]

Just to add to this thread I little bit more.
Yesterday I used a Cat yesterday for the first time in near a year from Regatta to New Farm (yes I could have riden but my other half did not want to get wet). On disembarking at New Farm I noted that there were 5 bikes on the Cat.
This was During Peak Hour!
In short Cats will most often take bikes.

Donald

[The Special One]

Just to echo BeauBoy, I use the cat all the time with my bike, at all times of the day. I've never had a problem. More and more people on bikes are using it so it really isnt an issue.

[DionM]

Well I used a citycat today. Not for commuting, but recreation. And kudos to the staff, that was even with my bike and kid trailer attached. They were very helpful.

Having said that, I wouldn't make the trailer a regular thing (bit too tight a squeeze), but at least they let me on!

[beauyboy]

Yiks a kids trailer in tow. I'm impressed.

I'm assuming this must of been on one of the new cats as on one of the old cats it would of been a squeese.

Donald

[DionM]

Yiks a kids trailer in tow. I'm impressed.

I'm assuming this must of been on one of the new cats as on one of the old cats it would of been a squeese.

Donald

Well, it was pretty squeezy, but I didn't take a lot of notice of the size of the boat - we were only on it for a short while.

The chariot (2 seater) is as wide as a wheelchair.

[munga]

Dion

I am at Coorparoo and ride to Northgate. There is no reason to break the journey with a ferry trip. It will only cost you time. What time do you leave? Or what time do you need to arrive at Virginia?

I'm wjth MountGower on this one. By the time you've waited for the ferry wouldn't it of been quicker to go across the Storey Bridge. Then through valley, Montpellier road, Abbotsford Road and onto Sandgate Rd?

from storey bridge, where does one go in order to get to montpellier rd?
when i commuted to eagle farm i used to ride off the bridge, past the valley fire station, turn right onto brunswick st, left into robertson, down the hill to about hmmm... james st, then left till i hit ann st. i had to ride the ann st footpath till the whickham st / ann st / montpellier rd intersection, then cut across till i was with the flow of traffic north along brekky ck rd. that whole 'valley to montpellier' was always cludgy to me. is there a better way? maybe along james st to the valley pool on whickham st?