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The Sydney Waterbus

STUCK in yet another rush hour traffic jam on the M27, watching your fuel gauge drop ever lower and feeling your frustration levels raise ever higher - you'd pretty much rather be anywhere else. Well now a radical proposal hidden away in a lengthy transport document could change all that.

Imagine getting from Portsmouth to Southampton, or vice-versa, in about half an hour and instead of staring at the bumper of the car in front of you, taking in scenic views of the Isle of Wight or reading the Daily Echo.

It may seem far-fetched - or blindingly obvious - but the idea of a high-speed ferry between the Solent cities this week became a genuine possibility.

As revealed by the Echo, Hampshire's transport chiefs have included a £15m Solent waterbus service in a wish-list of schemes it wants the Government to help fund over the next 20 years.

Transport for South Hampshire - which is made up of Hampshire County Council, Southampton City Council and Portsmouth City Council - say a massive £2.6 billion upgrade of the region's transport network is needed to stop it grinding to a halt.

"I just can't believe that we haven't actually, as a maritime nation, done this already," he said.

Of course other famous coastal cities across the world - including Sydney, Hong Kong, Seattle and Singapore - have been ferrying about their residents and visitors for years.

However, the idea of a Solent water link is not a new one.

Gosport Borough Council's longest serving councillor, Peter Edgar, first floated the idea more than ten years ago.

"We've got two great cities in Portsmouth and Southampton, both with tremendous attractions, and it's ridiculous not to link them by water," the Tory councillor said.

"In other parts of the world, such as Singapore, these water links have worked extremely well and it just amazes me that it's taken ten years to get this thing off the ground."

WATER transport is at the heart of famous coastal cities - and their transport networks - across the world. As our roads get ever busier, authorities are increasingly transforming their coasts into water highways.

No holiday to Sydney would be complete without a trip on a ferry or JetCat, pictured, from Circular Quay to Manly. In fact, the ferry's iconic status is central to Sydney's image as a harbour city.

Tourists can take in the sights of Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, while for lucky residents, it's simply the fastest way to get to work every day.

However, like all forms of public transport it has not been without its crisis.

Four people were killed last year when a ferry collided with another vessel in the harbour.

In Singapore, watertaxis are one of the most popular ways of getting around and a new green fleet of 20 electronic boats will begin nipping across the harbour later this month.

While in the famous Italian water city of Venice, locals sick of being crushed by hoards of tourists are being given their own waterbus service.

London has Britain's most extensive waterbus service, Thames Clipper, which carries more than 20,000 passengers per week.

Packed with features such as wireless Internet and a cafe, cruising the Thames is proving far more enjoyable than a gloomy journey on the Tube.

1:18pm Sunday 13th April 2008

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