Future alternatives for our Kingston-Edmonds ferry are being presented in Edmonds Sept 25 and in Kingston at the North Kitsap Fire & Rescue Headquarters Station at 7 p.m. Sept. 29 (see the article in this issue for details). If you miss them you can still get your two cents in by e-mail at wsfplanning@wsdot.wa.gov or by post to Washington State Ferries, Attn. Joy Goldenberg, 2901 Third Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121.
Here’s our summary*:
A funding frenzy: WSF’s fares and dedicated tax money doesn’t pay its bills. It’s been short $110 million per year since 2000. This jumps to $240 million per year as WSF replaces its over-age fleet and incurs increased labor and fuel costs. Filling the gap will take 15 percent of the Washington State Department of Transportation’s budget, which means canceling road projects. To avoid doing that, Olympia wants to do some or all of the following: cut WSF costs, extend ferry life past 60 years, eliminate terminal modernizations, raise fares and find a new ferry tax.
Redemption by reservation: Reservations would reduce terminal and Washington State Patrol costs, knock down congestion and may eliminate the need for more ferry capacity. WSF and ferry “host communities,” such as Edmonds, want 90 percent of the boat reserved. Riders want at least half a boat unreserved for short-notice travel. Commuters want to make reservations a week in advance and have a reservation priority along with commercial traffic. While local riders oppose reservation fees, they support some fare prepayment that wouldn’t be refundable. WSF is working this. If you have any comments, send them in.
A peak pain in the …: WSF says its problem is that peak demand requires more ferry capacity so it needs to move cars away from the peak to reduce costs. Its strategies include discounts for small cars, passengers and “off-peak” travelers. They also propose higher fares for “peak” commuters who they claim get an undeserved bargain.
We disagree with WSF’s logic. New ferries are needed to retire the old ones, not just add capacity. No example has yet been shown where peak fares have actually reduced congestion. There are plenty of examples where peak fares were used to rake in cash. Certainly our summer fares haven’t reduced demand. There’s no “off-peak” time to shift to in the summer and do we really want more people driving all the way around? Between taxes and fares, Kingston’s frequent riders pay far more of WSF’s costs than the large majority of other riders.
What peak fares will certainly do is squeeze more money from working stiffs who have to drive to work. If peak fares get shoved down our throats then we must demand, in every way we can, that our frequent-user fares be continued during peak periods. This will put the peak fares on occasional riders who are more flexible in their travel while also protecting the frequent users who already pay a lot in fares and have little choice in when they travel.
Service: Our two boats will serve the needs of our Kingston-Edmonds route until about 2015. Adding a third summer boat then is a win-win. If a boat is available, why not put it on the busiest route where it will both reduce congestion and turn a profit? An Issaquah ferry needs to be about 80 percent full to break even on the Kingston run. That should be easy to do during our summertime peaks.
So what to do? If ferries are important to you, tell WSF and our legislators what you think every way that you can. The future of our ferry route will depend on it. It takes a lot of voices for WSF to listen.
*The full WSF presentation is on its Web site at
. At the bottom, in “Planning,” click on “Ferry Financing Legislation.”
The Kingston Ferry Advisory Committee includes Rex Carlaw, Dennis Cziske, Walt Elliott, Paul Lundy and Linda Paralez. Contact the committee at (360) 297-2845 or elliottmoore@comcast.net.
