PORT ORCHARD — The Kitsap County commissioners Monday expressed unanimous support for a levy lift to support foot ferry service in Kitsap County.
“This is a quality of life issue,” said Central Kitsap Commissioner Josh Brown. “This will help us to shorten commutes and bring business to the county.”
Brown compared the establishment of foot ferries to the building of the interstate highway system, which President Dwight Eisenhower supported in the 1950s.
“A lot of people thought the interstate was a waste of money,” Brown said. “Today, it has become the backbone of our transportation system.”
On Feb. 6, Kitsap County voters will decide whether to accept a .3 percent sales tax increase (30 cents on a $1,000 purchase) that would immediately finance two service points to downtown Seattle from Kingston and Bremerton. The Bremerton route would supplement existing car service while the Kingston route would provide a new avenue for travel from Kitsap County into Seattle.
The ferries would be operated by Kitsap Transit.
The measure has already failed once; if it does so again, it would not appear on the ballot for “a very long time,” said North Kitsap Commissioner Chris Endresen.
Kitsap Transit Director Dick Hayes said all of the money collected would be used to support the ferries, aside from the financing of some feeder routes. If the system fails or goes out of business, the county would stop charging the .3 percent tax.
The ferries would operate from floating docks that would be constructed in Bremerton, Seattle and Kingston. Hayes said the Bremerton dock would provide a bonus, as it would act as a breakwater for the Bremerton marina.
If the measure is approved service will begin this year, since Kitsap Transit has already lined up boats for the initial runs. Additionally, Hayes estimates that ferry use will save 102,2000 gallons of fuel and reduce 2 million pounds of air pollution each year.
Private foot ferries took over these routes, but operated for less than a year before shutting down. One of the reasons for the Bremerton-Seattle route’s failure was thatpassengers rode the WSF ferries into Seattle (where there is no passenger charge) and only paid for the foot ferry toward Bremerton.
Hayes said the new ferry would charge $1 on the eastward route and an undetermined amount going west, with an average roundtrip fare of $7 to $9.
While Kingston-Seattle is a new route, the Bremerton-Seattle route will make up for a third Bremerton boat (which the WSF has been unable to provide). Proposed schedules include three morning and three evening rush hour trips, one midday and one evening run each weekday and two sailings every weekend day.
Routes can also be increased for special events.
In addition to the Bremerton and Kingston routes, Kitsap Transit also has plans for future routes between Seattle and Port Orchard, Southworth and Poulsbo/Suquamish.
Southworth to SeaTac and Seattle to Whidbey Island are other possibilities.
Each boat will have a 142-passenger capacity. Passengers will access the boats on a single level with no stairs required, which Hayes said should reduce accidents.
While several citizens spoke out at Monday’s commissioners’ meeting against the proposal, the resolution of support was drafted prior to the meeting’s beginning.
Opponents included Vivian Henderson of Port Orchard, who said the money spent would benefit a disproportionate number of local residents. Carl Palmer of unincorporated Kitsap County said the new ferry routes would end up bringing more commuters into Kitsap County and subsequently overtax existing roads.
