By Dennis Cziske

The first of October has come and gone and those of us who are regular riders went to the toll booth on Sept. 30 and purchased 90 days worth of tickets to delay paying the tariff increase and the 25-cent new ferry surcharge until we absolutely must.

Also we have noticed the new green and white stripes on the pavement at the toll booths. If we fit between the green ones, we get the Small Car Discounted Tariff.  If we fit between the white ones, we get to pay the regular fare plus 5 cents to subsidize the small cars. Dear Virginia, there really is no free lunch; someone has to pay.

Surcharge legal limbo Last November, I-1053 changed the law to require a majority vote in the Legislature to raise or create new fees. In December, the attorney general confirmed that this “hit the reset button” on ferry fares. New fares require new legislation.

The Transportation Commission has gone ahead with the fuel surcharge even though it wasn’t explicitly passed by the Legislature.  Their justification is that the Appropriations Bill allows them to raise fares to meet the ferry budget and that arguably includes surcharges.

So can the commission impose a variety of fares without specific legislation?  If the answer is “yes,” then it’s business as usual and I-1053 had no real effect on ferry fares. If “no,” then unless the courts get involved, the surcharge will need to be withdrawn. Sen. Rolfes has asked the attorney general for an opinion and she should have the answer this month.

Ferry medical travelHow do you get on the ferry in a medical situation when there’s a backup? This can be broken down into planned and unplanned situations. Planned situations: This can be an expected medical trip, or the need to minimize your wait for medical reasons.  As soon as you can, contact WSF’s customer service office (1-888-808-7977) with your doctor’s fax number.  They’ll fax a “90-day,” two-part form to your doctor. The completed form will be faxed back to WSF and you’ll get a copy to take with you when you go to the boat. It helps if you call WSF ahead of the sailing time. Unplanned situations: This can be your situation, or that of a family  member hospitalized on the other side. For example, your spouse gets airlifted to Seattle but there’s no room for you in the helicopter.  For urgent needs, the best way by far is to make the arrangements through 911.  They will contact WSF for you even if you’re not using an ambulance.

If a friend or relative is hospitalized, call WSF (206) 464-6400 and they’ll make arrangements to get you onboard. Give them a reference they can check out such as a doctor or hospital name. If it’s after hours or you don’t have time to call, tell the tollbooth operator and ask for priority boarding but remember they will also need a reference, doctor or hospital, who they can call. WSDOT funding  The Governor’s Task Force on transportation funding is under way. Visit the “Connecting Washington” page on www.governor.wa.gov/priorities/transportation/connectwa.asp. Click on “website form” and comment on the importance of sustaining our ferries.