Inquirer Editorial: Paddling upstream
Some may think the duck boats were an endangered species, given the way the Nutter administration appears to be forging ahead with a misguided plan to bring the lumbering, noisy vehicles, filled with quacking tourists, to the bucolic Schuylkill.
Some may think the duck boats were an endangered species, given the way the Nutter administration appears to be forging ahead with a misguided plan to bring the lumbering, noisy vehicles, filled with quacking tourists, to the bucolic Schuylkill.
Despite impassioned public opposition to moving the ducks across town from the Delaware River, the administration belatedly sought bids for an amphibious tour operator on the Schuylkill.
No surprise, the bidding produced just one bid - the same Ride the Ducks attraction involved in a fatal crash on July 7. With no competing proposals, Nutter administration officials will be left to evaluate the bid in a vacuum. Clearly, there's not a big market for this attraction.
There's also an issue raised by a would-be tour competitor, who contends that Ride the Ducks should not be awarded a contract while it's suing in court over the barge crash that killed two tourists. While city officials say the litigation isn't a problem, the issue is worth a more thorough review - if only to reassure the public that the skids haven't been greased for the duck boats.
As for the lack of competing bids, an aide to city Managing Director Richard Negrin contends that isn't a roadblock. But he has acknowledged the city might not award the contract if the ducks tour proves disruptive to the Schuylkill Banks park, where the boats might enter the river.
Enough said. The duck boats are sure to clog traffic as they lumber across Center City, while also making pedestrians' dash across the Benjamin Franklin Parkway more hair-raising. Their plunge into the river near the Art Museum will disrupt the experience for the many residents and workers who flock to the river trail to jog, stroll and cycle.
A possible plan to dig a huge trench under the riverside trail has been estimated to cost more than $1 million. In addition to its immediate impact on Schuylkill Banks, the city could be stuck with a large, unsightly ditch if the duck boats attraction dries up and skips town.
Center City and the Parkway certainly would not be enhanced by the addition of 60 tours per day ferrying their kazoo-wielding riders. In fact, the same goes for the entire 20-block slog from Independence Visitors Center on Sixth Street, where the duck boats board.
Philadelphia, its many historic attractions and its tourist trade, will get along just fine without a tour that involves trucking visitors across town in gas-guzzling, amphibious, World War II vehicles.
Given the deadly incident and residents' objections, city officials shouldn't climb aboard the lame ducks again.
