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WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |
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Email this page to a friend Related storiesWSF press release: Public comment sought for fare increase proposal LETTERS: Response to proposed tariff changes Electronic card replaces ticket book fall 2005 SAN JUAN ISLANDER EDITORIAL - Clear communication with WSF essential LETTERS from Commissioners Rhea Miller and Kevin Ranker in response to SAN JUAN ISLANDER EDITORIAL Memorial Park to be renovated in Friday Harbor SAN JUAN ISLANDER EDITORIAL - Historical Preservation is valuable, but so is common sense (Regarding impact of Memorial Park renovation on ferry service) Route equity on Washington State Ferries GUIDE TO FERRY-RELATED STORIES Customers can comment at the public meetings, via postal mail, email, fax or phone. Email:tariff Fax: 206.515.3773 Phone: 888.808.7977
Postal mail: Tariff Proposal The Transportation Commission can be contacted at www.wsdot. wa.gov/ commission/ feedback.htm |
Response to WSF hears from islandersDear Editor, posted 03/03/05
Others involved Chinmayo, Jim Carroll, and the Lions who helped with signs and the rally itself. The gorgeous posters were created by Chris and Melonie at Tif and Gif Creative. Press releases were prepared Carol Anderson, Janna Gingras and Carrie Brooks. We were also thankful to Maude Cumming and Janet Olsen for screeching up at the last moment with members of the High School Band. And BIG THANK YOUshould go to Joyce Sobel, Vern Howard, Don Galt and Dorothy Lawson and the Town of Friday Harbor for allowing us to peacefully assemble. Liz Illg Response to proposed ferry fare increasesDear Editor, posted 02/28/05
1. Is the Ferry System in the San Juans being run to maximize Assets? If not why Not? Since there has been a short fall between Revenue and Costs, any business would look at increasing Revenue and at the same time reducing costs. It appears to me that this is not being done. Allow me to point some areas that I feel need to be looked at.
2. Number of Sailing vs. Ridership. It appears to me this is an area that needs IMPROVEMENT!. Why does San Juan Island have more passengers- Cars and Trucks and has the LOWEST number of Spaces available? Show us the numbers and be ready to justify why You are running the SJI system this way! Normally a Business would support its largest customer with the BEST Service. We on San Juan Island don't receive this courtesy from the WSF. Here are some questions to ask Yourself:
3. Food Service Ask yourself " Would a well run business have left this county without food service on the ferry's for almost a FULL YEAR if not longer?. This reeks of "LACK of Management" We as San Juan Islanders should demand that Food service be implemented ASAP. Also, Is it true that the concessionaire that had the food service paid for Garbage Removal from the Boats? If this is so and now the WSFS is now paying for the Garbage Removal this just adds another cost.4. Schedule for Island Hearings: Why do all the islands have the same time allotted for these hearings.? Does Shaw need 1:45 Minutes for there 10 people? Does Lopez need the same amount of time as FH? This is part of the problem. There is no sense of "COST TO SERVE" meaning Your resources should be allocated to Your top customer and then down from there. The WSF uses "ONE BRUSH TO PAINT ALL" 5. Ferry Dock in Friday Harbor. Look what a mess we have. Spending over $1 Million dollars for a " Temporary" Dock. Then one of the FH Council members wants to make it permanent! The people and government on this island better get the heads together and figure out what direction they want to go before spending $1 Million Dollars. 6. Memorial Park- Friday Harbor. This is a embarrassment and a TOTAL waste of MONEY!. What was wrong with the old park? Why spend the $200,000 ? Now the park is torn up and the peak tourist season is coming. Does this make sense. 7. Location of Ferry Dock on San Juan Island If Friday Harbor can't or won't get its act together then MOVE the location of the ferry dock to the Gravel Pit. This subject is like a smelly old sock- it never goes away. The people of this Island and not just FH should be asked for there input and working with the State make the right decision for the Island as a whole and not just FH. 8. Work Rules for the Ferries If You can't make a profit let alone keep from loosing money then what a good business would do is work with labor to get work concessions to IMPROVE SERVICE and EFFICIENCY'S and LOWER COSTS. This is not being done, and should be done prior to any discussion about increasing Fares! It used to be that when the boat left the dock the deck hands would wash windows, Clean floors and Scrap and Paint the boats. NOW, The boat leaves the dock and the deck hands head for the break Room. Not to be seen until the next stop. Most business allow there workers 20 minutes of breaks for every 4 hours worked. How many magazines and newspapers can be read in a SHIFT? After All it's called WORK. 9. Impact of Fare Increase to San Juan Island. Wal-Mart doesn't increase prices and expects to increase volume. They lower there costs and increase sales. If this State continues to ONLY look and the "Chickens" way out "Raising Fares" the effect on this island will kill growth and Cause an Increase in Property Taxes" Higher Fares means higher prices at All businesses in FH. Fewer riders means the cost to serve will go up. Sales tax revenues will go DOWN! This will drive more and more islander's to leave the island to shop for more of there everyday needs. Is this what the merchants and Islanders want?. I would encourage ALL parties to start with a clean tablet and not to continue to use the same old bandage. Everyone needs to be involved in this issue as it effects all Islanders. Only once this is done should we the riders and businesses on this island allow them the fare increase they are asking for! Frank Bruch Dear Editor, posted 02/25/05
It befuddles me (an old air traffic controller), as well as many others, as to why the ferry offloads slow foot traffic prior to allowing vehicles to disembark. This causes a lot of traffic confusion and safety concerns. It would be easier and more expeditious to allow vehicles to offload, and then allow foot traffic to leisurely dismebark during the "dead time" which normally follows prior to loading the ferry for the next eastbound journey. That could save a good hour, maybe more, throughout a day. Peter DeLorenzi Dear Editor, posted 02/25/05
Ruth Apter Letter from the Grange to Washington State FerriesRESOLUTION - SAN JUAN ISLAND GRANGE #966: MAINTAIN THE CURRENT COST, 25 percent DISCOUNT, and 90 DAY TIME PERIOD for the WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES FIVE TICKET COMMUTER BOOKLET USED IN ANACORTES/SAN JUAN COUNTY WHEREAS, transportation by Washington State Ferries is critical to agriculture in San Juan County; and WHEREAS, San Juan County Farmers are dependent on Washington State Ferries to transport agricultural supplies to San Juan County, and to transport agricultural products to and from San Juan County for processing and/or marketing; and WHEREAS, the Island Grown Farmers Cooperative, started in San Juan County, includes farmer members who reside and raise their livestock in San Juan County and who utilize the Cooperative's USDA inspected meat processing facility located in Skagit County, necessitating use of Washington State Ferries; and WHEREAS, the current cost and time away from the farm (both ferry line wait and travel time) limits the use of the Washington State Ferry system for economic reasons such that San Juan County farmers commute by Washington State Ferries approximately five times in a 90 day period; and WHEREAS, the proposed increased cost of the five ticket commuter booklet with a 10% discount and 90 day time period represents an unconscionable economic burden to San Juan Island Farmers given the 63% increase from 2001; and WHEREAS, the National Grange's 2005 Blueprint for America includes the key issue, "Support Transportation Improvements that Protect Rural Freedom of Mobility" stating that, "Freedom of mobility is vital to rural life. Transportation is our nation's economic circulatory system."; therefore be it RESOLVED, that the Washington State Ferries retain the current cost and the 90 day time period for the five ticket commuter booklet used for the Anacortes/San Juan County ferries. Jim Sesby Jane Burton-Bell Response to Public comment sought for fare increase proposalTo all decision makers regarding the Washington State Ferry System On March 2nd we, in the San Juan Islands, will be addressing our concerns regarding proposed changes to our sole physical connection with the mainland. I can’t help but feel we will be addressing our concerns to fellow victims of the Legislature. Washington State Ferries (WSF) are proposing these changes because of lack of funding by the Legislature. Hence, the system is a fellow victim. The Legislature has been hiding behind the skirts of the Transportation Commission and the Department of Transportation for far too many years. Today, we are suffering from the lowest level of service, in the San Juans, than at any time in my 22 years of residency in the Islands. Our fleet reflects, visually, the lack of maintenance in the fleet. We experience mechanical problems on a regular basis. There is no food service available. The question becomes: How far are we going to let one of the top tourist attractions in Washington State, and our only means of getting home, or away from home, deteriorate? As a result of the neglect of the System, the Management is now proposing a ridiculous method to raise the fares so that they can keep the System solvent. Who can blame them? I do! The proposed electronic card idea is certainly not a bad idea. However the plan of implementing the plan is not in the best interest of the System, or the people they serve. Declining ridership cannot be fixed by raising fares. Those of us in the Islands have pretty much accepted the 5+5+5 plan as necessary. The ride equity plan has not met much resistance. However, even with these plans in place it will cost over $80.00 for a family of four to come to Friday Harbor this Summer. It is my feeling ridership will continue to decline. In the long run there is nothing gained. Now comes a plan for electronic cards. These cards can be programmed any way the system determines. The proposed way is to remove the 25% ninety day discount of the commuter books, and replace it with a thirty day 25% discount and a 15% ninety day discount. This proposal is not acceptable. In many cases families will alternate shopping trips, thereby reducing ridership. I offer an alterative. The card could be purchased for a minimum of $100.00. Larger amounts could be made available in any amount the rider wishes to pay. The cards would be good for ninety days. The cards should reflect a 20% discount for all fares, excluding the senior and handicapped fares. The card would be presented at the toll booth and swiped to include the proper amount for whatever is required. Once the card is purchased it belongs to the purchaser. The purchaser should be able to use the card in any fashion he, or she, wishes. Since the trip is already paid for it is none of WSF’s business how the owner wishes to spend the credit on the card. The owner of the card has purchased a designated dollar amount of service from WSF. The service obtained should be at the discretion of the card owner. The above proposal is simple and workable. It provides an increase of 5% over today’s fares and seems to be a reasonable compromise. WSF has indicated that some commercial rates will be decreased so that they are more in line with regional rates. Is that to say the non-commercial rates will be increased because there is no competition? WSF is expanding the "Surcharge" season. Yet the "Surcharge" season does not correspond with the schedules. It seems to me that the "Surcharge" season should correspond with the summer schedule. That is when operating expenses increase. One more point. Why are the ferries, owned by WSDOT, that cross the Columbia River in Eastern Washington free? Sincerely, Wm. J. LaPorte Response to Electronic card replaces ticket book fall 2005Dear Editor, At the suggestion of others, I have sent a letter direct to Dale Stedman, chair of the State Transportation Commission; PO Box 47308 Olympia 98504-7308: Dear Mr Stedman: As a 30 year resident of the San Juan Islands and as an active member of the business community, I wish to express my serious objections to the WSF tariff changes currently under consideration. We have stomached repeated fare increases over the years since I-695. San Juan County voted against that initiative because we knew the damage it would cause State Transportation. We are reconciled to continuing rate increases, but it is unfair to design tariff changes that aim straight at the heart of Island life. The proposed changes--- severely reduced discounts and ‘single user’ electronic tickets--- will have a disproportionate impact on Island families. I am not one of those who complains about technological changes, but it seems these electronic tickets were designed for the convenience of accountants (yes, I can say that) and not for the convenience of families. The Islands may have a large tourist component, but it is FAMILIES that create the atmosphere that the tourists desire. Stop this disproportionate tariff increase NOW. Stop this insidious "convenience ticket " concept. Send these electronic tickets back to the drawing board. Try them out Down Sound if you must, but leave the Islands alone for now. Barbara Nason Response to Proposed ticket changes costly for islanders and San Juan Islander EditorialDear Editor, posted 01/27/05
Dan Watson
Letter sent to WSF I just wanted to send you an email in regards to your proposed change to commuter ticket books. I have lived on San Juan Island for 25 years, I'm 33 and work in Seattle and commute an average of 10 times a month. The rate increases in the past couple of years have been substantial, every time the price has gone up on daily fares they have also gone up on commuter tickets. I am aware that a lot of this is thanks to Tim Eyman's tax initiatives, however it should be considered that this community overwhelmingly voted against those initiatives, having the foresight of the impact it my have on state transportation budgets that effect us on a daily bases. R This latest proposed change is unfair, it is focused solely on the local community. I presume that the increase is necessary to fund the technology upgrade of swipe able commuter cards, which in turn reduces your work force and saves you money. At the same time the majority of working families on the islands are struggling to make ends meet, you are going to substantially increase the price of commuter tickets and reduce the ability to use them in a timely fashion, and also eliminate the ability to share them within their family. This community should benefit from the advantages of the book of tickets, we are your regular customers, you should give us priority over someone who decides to visit for the day and you may never see again. If you continue to leverage the locals we may not be able to afford you and have no other choice but to move or take up flying (which I would have never thought of, until the reduced sailing schedule and increased fares you have imposed lately have made flying almost worth it). R Please rethink your business tactics and reanalyze your customer base. Do not make commuting for locals more difficult. Respectfully Dear Editor, posted 01/24/05
First, we have to convince the legislature itself that the cost of our ferry is not materially different than snow removal in the passes or other "expensive" transportation maintenance costs. Until that argument is won we will be faced with their budgetary need to increase revenues against expenses. Since the folks who have state highways cleared of snow or mudslides pay no "fares", we end up with an apple versus an orange in the legislature's eye. Second, given that concept, the ferry tariff folks are being mandated to live with a "subsidy" to make up the shortfall between fare revenues and the operating costs. "subsidies" will never win against blocked highways. Third, we have a ferry committee that came up with a "fare parity" rule that decided that it would be easiest to divide all operating costs into the miles on a route. It might be easiest, but it totally ignores the fact that the costs are incurred in three parts --running the ferry landing for loading, the actual sailing and running the landing for unloading. Only the sailing costs have a relationship to mileage. Lastly, the different types of fares have significantly different impact on different users. The proposal will hit an islander's weekly mainland trip for medical treatment far more than the target increase of 10%. The proposal assumes a one-size-fits-all fare structure when the very technology proposed allows many more options. For islanders, once a week to the mainland in your car is as much a commuter as the downsounder who does it daily. Our fares are already so high that virtually nobody who does it daily takes a car. So let's make sure our comments reach the appropriate folks who have the decision-making for these layers which have resulted in the fix San Juan County ferry riders are in. Dan Zaehring This letter was sent to the Transportation Commission: Dear Commissioners, posted 01/23/05
First, the cost increase seems a bit much. We will pay more and receive fewer privileges. We have been able to afford to stay overnight for major shopping and now it may require we return to the island on the same day. I believe this ticket policy change will cause more islanders to forgo mainland shopping and commerce to use mail order and the internet. Many of us depend on the ferry system for access to hospitalization, diagnostic services, treatments and visiting of patients. Also, the impact on our school’s athletic students and their families will definitely be felt. Lastly, the vendors who supply food and products will be greatly impacted as will overall costs on goods and services. This is a huge increase in fees that will have a major direct effect on all islanders. An equally important issue is the "severability" of the tickets. Currently, as you know, tickets can be removed and used individually. After Washington State Ferries switches to an electronic fare system in the fall of 2005, separating the tickets will not be possible. Restricting the time limits on the electronic cards to shorter time use will punish families and businesses unnecessarily. Are there other options available? 1) How about increasing the time limit back to the current levels or 2) rolling over the value paid on a partially used card towards a new card if it goes unused? The lost of "severability" combined with the cost increase really seems you are ignoring the needs of the Islanders. I am sure I speak for many. I look forward to and will attend your rescheduled Ferry Advisory Meeting prior to your March 2 Public Hearings. Thank you for listening.
Marie DiCristina Letter to the Washington State Transportation Commission regarding Ferry Tariff changes: posted 01/23/05
Decisions are made and plans are set. Then, you come out here to see how loudly we scream. There are always people available to scream at hearings, but we all know the core of the decision-making has already been done. The public meetings are REQUIRED, not particularly crucial to the plan. The Eyman initiatives have sent the Ferry system into a financial spiral and the San Juans are punished each year with rate increases and decreased service. The whole concept of ferries being part of the HIGHWAY SYSTEM has been swept away. The final result of the proposals now under discussion seems to be to END any kind of practical discount for local residents. I suspect, soon, tourists will get better rates than locals. As an accountant, I can imagine the analyst who suggested that commuter books are being "abused" in the San Juans. Suddenly, the concept of "severability" is born. "Isn’t it awful that families buy passenger books for their families." "Wouldn’t it be a nice increase if Islanders paid full fare." If the Ferry System were family friendly, these ideas of "convenience books" vs. "commuter books" and "one book per person" (electronic OR paper) would never get out of the brainstorming session they started in. Plans that make perfect sense "down Sound" do NOT fit in the San Juans, but the System values "one size fits all." Down Sound, most ferries are used by people who like the convenience of hopping across the Sound instead of driving around it. It saves them time, which saves them money. In the San Juans, families use the ferries for LIVING. They are our vital link to the mainland: school events, family shopping, outings to recreational areas, medical visits, business travel. We are your captive audience. Rates go up and we use the ferries less. So rates go up again. At some point we won’t be able to afford the ferries at all. This might fit better into the WSF focus on tourism, but do tourists really want to see dying communities? I’ve heard some suggestions (not from the Ferry system) for electronic tickets that are family oriented. They would be dollar based and a simple swipe system would speed up ferry terminal traffic. This would be an IMPROVEMENT, not a disguised fare increase. Please consider changes to this plan. Barbara Nason This letter was sent to the Transportation Commission: The proposed reduction in car and driver book discount rates in the San Juans is a very disappointing idea. However, this is the trend in WSF lately, more for less. When I first moved here a car and driver ticket was around $18 without buying a book, there was full food service on all boats, except the Hiyu (free coffee though) year round, and there were more runs. We are the only ferry route where there is no other option. Other routes in the state serve as a convenience, but there is the option to drive as well. We are your captive audience and you can abuse that situation and our island community will suffer. Many islanders have a hard time affording the ferries as it is. We already have one of the highest median home prices in the state with a gross discrepancy between cost of living and working class wages. My husband and I can afford your unjustified new rates, but near all of our friends and coworkers cannot. If you ratify this new tariff you will greatly contribute to driving many long time islanders who make our community unique onto the mainland. Jenny Sierman Dear Editor, posted 01/20/05
Teddy Deane Dear Editor, posted 01/20/05
LaNelle Brasher Dear Editor, posted 01/20/05
Gayle Rollins Dear Editor, posted 01/20/05
We need to return to much better subsidies for ferry service or ridership will continue to go down and costs to go up. My gasoline taxes provide a 100 percent subsidy to mainland roads, some of which, in Eastern Washington for example, get very little traffic. We pay for snow removal, state troopers, maintenance, construction, and the salaries of all managers. But our marine section of the highway system is supposed to be 90 percent self-supporting! Only Jeff Morris seems to fight for us. Dave Quall, in particular, seems indifferent to our needs and in fact seems unable to fight for much of anything. Certainly all three of our commissioners should be out in front on this issue. Richard Ward This letter was sent to the Transportation Commission: The proposed changes in the ferry commuter ticketing for the San Juans is fundamentally flawed and unfair and MUST not be allowed to proceed. The cost increases are already making a big impact in families affordability to travel off these remote islands. I see this problem increasingly since I am a medical practitioner and need to send people for testing, consults and they cannot afford the travel. In addition, all the local schools and sports teams, parents and fans need to travel often to the mainland during all seasons. Being able to purchase a book of passenger tickets and use them for a group of Little League kids traveling to a league game--makes life here possible. The tickets are all purchased legally and utilized honestly. Why are we to be penalized and unable to do this by the change to "individual swipe card" proposed? The transportation commission needs to realize that island life is not like anything you could imagine; you have to live here. The ferries are a pivotal item around which many facets of our lives are arranged. When you are on vacation or far from home, or just running shopping errands, you consult the ferry schedule to see "if we leave now, what ferry could we make it on to be sure we get home tonight?" THIS is the reality of island life. I have lived here for 22 years and am and no stranger to the ferry system. Working families are hard hit by these very adverse changes proposed. Please retain the 25% discount, increase the tickets to 120 days use or if you must use a swipe card system, then just make the cards for a certain dollar amount debit card that does not expire and allow them to be applied to whatever combination of car, driver, passengers that needs to get on the boat and apply the appropriate discounted rates. When the dollar value is used up, then we'll buy another card. Thank you. Susan Hill Dear Editor, posted 01/20/05
Tim and Rene Polda Dear Editor, posted 01/18/05
I was told that bigger and faster ferries had been tried out here to alleviate the huge summer delays. Some islanders complained that bigger ferries means increased numbers of visitors. Some said that the bigger ferries were eroding their shorelines. Yet our islands can only support so many visitors (thus a limiting factor in and of itself), and most erosion out here is a result of tides, winds, and storms (just ask anyone that has seen Cattle Point). But the system hears only those who made their voices heard. WSF asked if Friday Harbor wanted two ferry slips. They were told by one person (and maybe a couple of more we don't know about) that we only wanted one slip. Once the decision was made public, it was too late to let WSF know that hey, the two slip idea is a good one--we'd love a back-up slip (recalling how Orcas Island fared not too far back in time when they lost their slip). But again, the system heard the few and installed a slip that has materials not designed to last for more than a few years. Perish the thought that an emergency may make a second slip so important, or that a second slip would speed up the off-loading of cars that WSF always complains about. Now WSF wants to change our pass books to electronic cards. While this saves a few trees (which is always a good thing), it allows WSF to change the rules. It reduces the length of time the cards are good to 30 days from 90 days. It reduces the incentive to pre-purchase from 25% to 20%. It eliminates the ability for families to use the coupons for any off-island trip by only allowing one usage per trip per vehicle. Here's my voice: A better use of cards would be allowing users to quickly and efficiently pass through the tollbooths without having to exchange tickets or money. Just swipe the card, the attendant enters the number of passengers to deduct from your balance, and you're on your way. There is no need to limit the number of people the card covers per vehicle, and the increase in processing the vehicle would justify the 25% discount. And get rid of the 90 day expiration period. Make it 120 days. This way you are saying to local residents who use the ferries regularly---we value your patronage, and we want to work with you to make your transit as painless as possible. No one is trying to cheat the system by sharing coupons in their families. They are trying to make an expensive connection to the mainland less expensive. WSF is basically telling us--we don't hear your voices, so we don't feel your pain. It is said that there are about 6,000 full-time residents on San Juan Island alone. If everyone on San Juan and every island made their pain known, WSF would have no justification in making the proposed changes. We need to be the squeaky wheel. We need to contact our local WSF representatives. Contact WSF directly. Contact the television news, the state and local newspapers. Call, write, or email our elected officials in the city, county, state, and federal level. We need to say we don't like the way we are being treated. Our needs should count just as much as the ferry user in Seattle, or any other ferry stop along the way. We are more than just a tourist destination. For many of us, this is home. And the only way we have to get here is by ferry (unlike places in Seattle where the ferry is a short-cut versus taking a bridge home). Now that you are done reading my letter (and I appreciate you taking the time to do so), go ahead and pen off a quick email to someone else and let them know this proposed change is unacceptable. John Boyd Dear Editor, posted 01/18/05
Terry Sanders Dear Editor, posted 01/17/05
Hal Rogers Dear Editor, posted 01/17/05
And, that issue of 'serveability' of the passenger ticket card, I just know that's going to thrill the already embattled young families with several children! Does every loaf of bread and board foot of lumber have to have its own electronic card? As I said, bless their hearts! Jan Sundquist |
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