Another holiday weekend of unbearable congestion and hours-long waits to get to the Toronto Islands may have some people questioning why anyone would bother trying to head to the attraction on Canada Day, but others are looking for ways to fix the infernal experience rather than resigning themselves to simply accepting or avoiding it.

Complaints of ferry lineups teeming with far too many people waiting far too long in the blazing heat ar certainly not uncommon during peak season for the offshore greenspace, which is a virtually obligatory activity for tourists and locals alike come summer.

It is only a dedicated few from the latter group who will brave the crowds to catch a ferry to the island on a picture-perfect weekend or holiday, knowing full well that it will be multiple sweaty hours of waiting packed like sardines or bored in a lineup in both directions, making for a frustrating all-day affair.

Even the private water taxi business hasn't been immune to ridiculous demand and long lineups, which is why some citizens are demanding more frequent ferry service or some other solution.

Unfortunately.. that isnt a realistic option…Ferry Staff are hard to come by as MTO isn’t hiring. Read about the terrible time Wolfe Island and other Frontenac Islands are having. It would be easier to walk to Billy Bishop and bus folks.

— J_Courtney (@JeanCourtney413) July 5, 2023

One suggestion floated in previous years is a pedestrian and cycling bridge across the lake, which sounds great in theory but wouldn't really be plausible in practice.

There has been much public opposition to the concept, including from island residents who, as one person on Twitter noted this week, prefer the flow of people to the site be controlled to avoid it getting too "insufferable."

So your argument is that with a bridge too many people would use the island? So we should just keep it the exclusive playground of those willing to pay water taxi or ferry costs and wait in line for an hour? Maybe those few users should pay the total cost then?

— Paul 🇨🇦 (@ekkridon) July 5, 2023

Others simply think the idea, much like increasing ferry service, isn't practical given daily boat traffic, and would also ruin some of the appeal of the island, which is the charming ferry ride and the fact that it is such a mission to get to (and is less busy once you actually reach it).

Free ferries, but no bridge. Let islands be islands. https://t.co/f1ytrMFGlo

— Howard Anglin (@howardanglin) July 4, 2023

Another, more widely-supported recommendation is opening up the underground tunnel to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport for public use, which is something some argue should have been done long ago.

Additional proposals include a gondola, more options to rent a watercraft to get across, and perhaps the most expensive and damaging to the environment, extending the subway to the popular park.

Then there are those with the advice to swim across, pay the money for a water taxi or just have some patience. Some also note that everything in the city seems to have a line now, so waiting with the masses is just part of the new reality of living here in recent years.

A subway station on the islands would be cost prohibitive, dealing with digging and soil while also not disturbing the environmental aspects of the island itself. A subway needs many users every day, an island station would not do that. The cost benefit is much too low.

— 🚗🚃🚌 twink (@Car_Silhouettes) July 5, 2023

As the city told blogTO earlier this week, the weekend ferry schedule on nicer days includes extra crews, with all five vessels fully staffed to move up to 25,000 passengers per day.

"Passengers are advised to purchase their tickets online and travel outside peak hours to avoid longer wait times," they added, also saying that the city is doing its best to mitigate wait times and looking at "new ways to address issues."