Who allowed the stair design on Salish Orca [“Delays tarnish Salish Orca launch,” May 24] to pass a safety review? Three decks appear to go virtually straight up and down (must be more than 30-feet) with minimal landings.
The angle is far too steep and the treads are not wide enough, leading to a sense of imbalance. Looking down the stairs from the top, totally smooth handrails almost produce a sense of vertigo.
If anyone slips or loses balance they will probably go from top to bottom, resulting in possible catastrophic, if not fatal, injuries. People with sweaty, overly dry or gloved hands will not be able to maintain a grip on the handrails and save themselves.
The above comments refer to calm conditions while the ferry is docked. Any sudden ship movement due to adverse weather and the situation will only be aggravated, especially because the stairs are on the outside of the ship, which will maximize the motion, rather than in the centre, which keeps the motion to a minimum.
I overheard three separate people talking to their friends and saying they were not going to use the stairs and will take the elevator instead. I fully expect to see the stairs closed during stormy conditions.
Other concerns with the new ferry include double automatic doors that barely work; the outside ones are jerky and erratic. One side takes approximately 14 seconds to open, while the other side takes about 19 seconds, then stays open for a few seconds. Both close in around 12 seconds for a 30-second cycle. What that is going to be like in windy conditions boggles the mind.
The inner door does not necessarily close before the outer one opens; it is a totally dysfunctional system. Semi-recessed door buttons are very difficult to operate if you have arthritic thumbs or fingers, especially since you have to press and hold them for several seconds to start the door opening.
Did it ever occur to anyone that operating buttons should not be flush or recessed?
On top of that, there is no escaping the continual beeping as doors open and close. If one is not in the process of opening and closing, the other is, and that applies to both ends of the ship. Several people changed seating positions to try and get away from the irritating noise, to no avail.
I went to staff to complain about the beeping. To their credit, most of them were very nice and diplomatic and said they would look into having them turned down. If people use the doors continually, you are going to hear continual beeping.
Other problems that I noticed on the sailing I was on included one elevator not working, some doors not working properly, satellite/WiFi not functional and rust already appearing through the protective coating on all decks.
Morris Moser retired to Powell River and is dependent on ferries for medical services.
