January 15th, 2010, by Margie Doyle
Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Secretary David Moseley announced that repairs and sea trials have been completed on the Sealth and the vessel returned to service on Friday, Jan. 15. The Evergreen State will replace the Hiyu on the inter-island route early this evening.
“This service disruption was a hardship to our San Juan Islands customers for the past two weeks and I appreciate your patience. Thank you to our staff who worked hard to return the vessel to service prior to the holiday weekend,” said Moseley.
The Sealth experienced damage to the engine output shaft on Jan. 5 and has been out of service since then.
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January 9th, 2010, by Margie Doyle
David Moseley, Secretary for the Ferries Division of the State Department of Transportation, announced that on Tuesday, Jan. 5, the Sealth was taken out of service due to a damaged engine output shaft.
“This incident necessitated moving customers to a central assembly station. The vessel will remain out of service for approximately one to two weeks for repairs,” said Moseley on Jan. 8.
The Hiyu is replacing the Evergreen State as the San Juan Islands inter-island ferry and the Evergreen State is taking the place of the Sealth.
Due to the Evergreen State running 30 minutes behind schedule, the 9:05 p.m. sailing from Orcas Island to Friday Harbor was canceled on Friday evening. The Elwha was scheduled to stop at Orcas at 10:15 p.m. to pick up Friday Harbor bound vehicles and passengers.
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December 20th, 2009, by Margie Doyle
From the WSF News Release
The Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division (WSF) will begin operating on a winter schedule starting Sunday, Jan. 3 through March 27. The winter schedule brings a number of notable service changes to the Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Seattle/Bremerton routes, as well as the seasonal closure of the international route and the seasonal reduction to a two-boat weekend schedule on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route.
- There is no ferry service between Anacortes and Sidney, B.C. during the winter schedule; international service resumes March 28.
- There are two different sailing schedules on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands routes during the winter: weekday and weekend. Starting Jan. 3, only three boats will operate on Saturdays and Sundays, while the normal four boats will continue operating during the week.
- Another significant change from the fall schedule to the winter schedule in the San Juans is that the final weekday sailing of the evening from Anacortes to the islands has been moved from 7:25 p.m. to 8:55 p.m. and it will make all stops.
WSF also reminds customers that there will be no ferry service on the Port Townsend/Keystone route on Saturday, Jan. 9, and Sunday, Jan. 10, to facilitate a required annual inspection on the Steilacoom II. Customers are advised to plan ahead, and use the Edmonds/Kingston and Mukilteo/Clinton ferries as an alternate route between the Olympic Peninsula and Whidbey Island.
Customers can view or download the winter 2010 schedule at the WSF Web site www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/
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December 15th, 2009, by Margie Doyle
San Juans' travelers may use a reservation system within two years
WSF has recommended that a reservation system on the San Juans’ route be implemented as early as 2012. Previously, 2015 had been considered the earliest possible start date for a reservation system on the San Juans’ run.
After speaking to Department of Transportation’s Ferry Secretary David Moseley, Ed Sutton, Chair of the Ferry Advisory Committee, conveyed this information to County Council Liaison Howie Rosenfeld, who plans to discuss the matter with the County Council today.
Since 2001, when the passage of Initiative 695 cut the Washington State Ferries (WSF) revenue stream by drastically reducing motor vehicle taxes, WSF has been researching how to obtain a reliable source of funding. Studies have shown that, throughout the WSF system, ferries are utilized at 68% capacity. That means that, all routes considered, 32% of the ferry’s vehicle-carrying capacity is not being used.
Sutton said, “The key challenge is to find a way to better utilize the capacity of assets we already have. We need to find strategies and procedures that make use of the [unused capacity of the ferries]. Unfortunately, every body wants to travel at the same time.
“But some people can take advantage of a reservation system; to spread out the demand is the whole concept.”
In the past year, the Edmonds-Kingston ferry run has been the subject of a ferry reservation study to investigate how a reservation system can achieve capacity use on the ferry runs already in operations.
However, in the process, two determinants have affected their decision to implement a full reservation system at the Anacortes-San Juans-Sidney route instead of Edmonds-Kingston. Their findings have been included in a report that will be sent to the state legislature today.
First, WSF learned that the Edmonds-Kingston route is not a “discrete” route, in that travel on that route affects the rest of the Kitsap County (including Bainbridge Island and Bremerton) “travel shed.” For example, if a Kingston boat is fully reserved, a driver may travel to Bainbridge Island or to Bremerton to catch a ferry to the Seattle area.
Second, WSF “pushed the [San Juans route] to the front of the list because they found, when talking worldwide to ferry systems, that reservations work best when routes are longer, and fairly complicated,” Sutton said.
He added that the Mukilteo-Clinton and Fauntleroy-Vashon routes will probably be the last to implement a ferry system, if at all, because their runs have shorter routes and operate from smaller terminals.
Instead, WSF plans to upgrade the reservation systems in place already at Port Townsend-Whidbey Island and for travel to Sidney, B.C., as well as the semi-official reservation system in the San Juans for commercial vehicles. The expectation is that a complete reservation system on the San Juans route will be in effect by the summer of 2012, “with the intent of predictability and assurance,” said Sutton.
He hopes that the Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) can formulate an early-phase discussion group that reviews the WSF findings from the Edmonds-Kingston study “and see if their recommendations fit the way we live up here.
“I tend to be pro-active, I don’t wait around and see what’s going to happen. It’s advantageous to our community to ask, ‘What does this mean to us?’ Specifically, as it relates to tourism — why come up to the islands for a few days and sit in ferry lines for half a day on each side?”
Sutton adds, “The concept of assured travel is very positive for us to consider.” Starting in late winter, he proposes work groups with tourism agencies such as the San Juans’ Visitors Bureau and the Chambers of Commerce to comment on how the county can “best adapt to a reservation system in ways that serve us.
“The flip side is how that ‘rigidity,’ if you will, fits in with the spontaneity we’ve known for years.
“Discussion of a San Juans reservation system is preliminary, but it tips us off that as a community, we have to pay attention. No matter how it comes down, it’s going to dramatically affect our lives.”
For more information on the WSF reservations system, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/planning/vehiclereservations.htm
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October 31st, 2009, by Margie Doyle
The Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division (WSF) invites the public to a series of meetings in ferry-served communities November 4-19. In these meetings WSF will provide information, answer questions and hear public comments on a variety of issues related to the ferry system, including the legislated vehicle reservations pre-design study, winter vessel maintenance schedule, new 64-car ferries, crewing schedules and preparing for the 2010 legislative session.
“I look forward to this series of community conversations,” said David Moseley, Assistant Secretary for WSF. “We will discuss work being done now as well as work moving forward into the 2010 legislative session.”
The community meeting schedule for the San Juan Islands will take place Thursday, Nov. 5 from 2:15 to 4:15 p.m., aboard San Juan inter-island ferry (departing Friday Harbor at 2:15 p.m., Orcas at 3:05 p.m., Shaw at 3:20 p.m., Lopez at 3:45 p.m.)
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September 25th, 2009, by Margie Doyle
WSF will implement the 2009 fall schedule beginning Sunday, September 27. Key schedule changes include reduction of service between Anacortes and Sidney, B.C. Beginning Sunday, Sept. 27the only trip to Sidney will leave Anacortes at 7:45 a.m. daily, with stops scheduled at Orcas at 8:40 a.m. and departing Friday Harbor at 9:30 a.m.
The return trip from Sidney sails at 11:40 a.m. each morning, arriving at Friday Harbor at 1:40 p.m. and at Anacortes at 2:45 p.m.
The new purple schedule can be viewed online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/
Last week, the Washington State Transportation Commission announced a 2.5 percent increase in Washington State Ferry fares. The across-the-board fare increase, the first in two years, takes effect Oct. 11.
The Commission approved an increase in general fares, but rejected a proposed 10 percent summer surcharge that would be charged for the months of July and August. The existing 25 percent peak-season surcharge for vehicles, imposed each year from May 1 to the second Sunday in October, remains in effect. The 10 percent surcharge would have been an additional charge.
The entire fare proposal can be found here on the Commission’s Web site.
The Commission approved the following elements within the fare proposal:
- Applying a 2.5 percent across-the-board general fare increase.
- Converting the in-need organization discount pilot program into a permanent program.
- Allowing WSF to collect between 25 to 100 percent of the applicable fare as a non-refundable deposit for advance vehicle reservations on routes with a reservation system. This would be a pre-payment of a portion of or the entire fare and is not an additional fee.
- Eliminating the tollbooth surcharge for multi-ride fare purchases (which had not been implemented).
- Moving toward further implementation of tariff equity affecting San Juan inter-island fares by adding 5 percent on top of the 2.5 percent general increase.
- Allowing WSF flexibility to enter into agreements with fire districts for free passage when on emergency calls in lieu of payment for fire protection services at ferry terminals.
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September 8th, 2009, by Margie Doyle
Lance Evans, Executive Director of the Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce announced this afternoon, Sept. 8:
The Washington State Transportation Commission met today in Seattle to hold a public hearing and vote on various new fare proposals for the ferry system. Of interest to Orcas Islanders were the following:
- General Fare Increase of 2.5% for most of the ferry system. This was approved.
- An additional 5.0% increase in fares for the San Juan Islands interisland route (resulting in a total 7.5% increase). This was approved.
- A new 10% Summer Season Surcharge (end of June to Labor Day) for vehicle & passenger single ticket purchases on all routes. This was not approved.
The Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce ‘attended’ the meeting telephonically in order to provide public comment. Your Chamber testified that the proposed 10% Summer Season Surcharge would be a hardship on residents unable to purchase multi-ride cards who need to travel off-island during that time. It was also noted that our visitors to the island shouldn’t have to bear an additional cost – one that might deter them from even making the trip.San Juan County Council member Howie Rosenfeld also provided similar testimony. The Transportation Commission felt the issue of Tariff Route Equity was a deciding factor in approving the interisland fare increase (length and fares of trips within the San Juans were not priced in sync with other routes in the system).
The new fares will go into effect on October 11, 2009.
Please let the Chamber know if you have any questions about the above.
The Chamber can be reached at 376-2273, or at www.orcasislandchamber.com
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September 4th, 2009, by Margie Doyle
David Moseley, Ferries Division Secretary for the Washington State Department on Transportation, announced on Sept. 4, “I am pleased that on Thursday evening we were able to achieve agreement with our union partners on new crewing schedules that comply with the U.S. Coast Guard requirement to discontinue the use of touring watches except for the vessels that tie up in Friday Harbor.
“This agreement allows WSF to utilize alternative 10-hour watches, add service to the Point Defiance/Tahlequah route, and to make additional stops in the San Juan Islands. Just as importantly, this agreement has the potential of establishing the foundation for new and better crewing and sailing schedules for the future.
“I want to thank our union partners for working so diligently with us to achieve this agreement. We are going to do everything we can to implement the improved crewing schedules at the beginning of the fall schedule (September 27). Logistically that will be very difficult, but both WSF and the unions agreed that we are going to do everything in our joint powers to achieve that goal.”
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August 24th, 2009, by Margie Doyle
News release from the Washington State Transportation Commission
Proposed ferry fare adjustments are the focus of a series of pubic input meetings being held by the Washington State Transportation Commission.
For the San Juan Islands’ route, the meeting will be held aboard the Sealth on Monday, Aug. 31.
The Commission approved a new fare proposal at its July meeting and will hold public input meetings in late August and early September. Comments received will be considered prior to final adoption of the existing or a modified fare proposal, which would go into effect October 11, 2009.
The proposal includes these elements:
- Applying a 2.5 percent across-the-board general fare increase.
- Making the in-need organization discount permanent (now a pilot program).
- Allowing WSF to collect between 25 to 100 percent of the applicable fare as a non-refundable deposit for advance vehicle reservations on routes with a reservation system. This would be a pre-payment of a portion of or the entire fare and is not an additional fee.
- Eliminating the tollbooth surcharge for multi-ride fare purchases (which had not been implemented).
- Moving toward further implementation of tariff equity affecting San Juan inter-island fares by adding 5 percent on top of the 2.5 percent general increase.
- Allowing WSF flexibility to enter into agreements with fire districts for free passage when on emergency calls in lieu of payment for fire protection services at ferry terminals.
- Applying a 10 percent “peak summer surcharge” to only single-fare purchases (not applicable to multi-ride/frequent-user fares). The peak summer surcharge would be in effect between the end of June and the day after Labor Day.
Dates, times and locations of the public input meetings are as follows:
- Monday, August 31: San Juan Islands, on board the Sealth (interisland ferry), departs Friday Harbor at 11:35 a.m., Orcas at 12:30 p.m., Shaw at 12:45 p.m., Lopez at 1:05 p.m., and returns to Friday Harbor at 1:55 p.m.
In addition, a formal public hearing will be held on Tuesday, September 8, from 1 to 5 p.m. in Seattle at the Puget Sound Regional Council, 1011 Western Avenue, Suite 500.
The Commission will take no action during the public input meetings. Commissioners are however, expected to vote to either adopt or modify the fare proposal following additional input at the public hearing in Seattle. People who would like to comment, but cannot attend the public input meetings or the hearing in Seattle, can submit their comments to the Commission via letter, e-mail or telephone, no later than 5 p.m., Friday, September 4, 2009. Contact the Commission at:
WSTC
PO Box 47308
Olympia, WA 98504-7308
E-mail: transc@wsdot.wa.gov
Telephone: 360-705-7070
The Commission is designated the State Tolling Authority and as such, sets all state highway and bridge tolls as well as setting fares for Washington State Ferries.
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July 16th, 2009, by Margie Doyle
The Seattle Times reported on July 16 that “Sen. Patty Murray, who describes herself as “furious” to learn Washington was virtually ignored on a list of federal stimulus grants to ferry projects this week, said Wednesday she’s been assured the state will receive an additional $7.6 million.
“Murray said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told her it had been a mistake to allot Washington projects only $750,000 from a $60 million Recovery Act pool that Murray helped authorize in Congress.
“When she learned of the original allocation, Murray said, “I was shocked, and I called Secretary LaHood immediately and told him I couldn’t understand this,” the Washington Democrat said. “He did not have an answer.”
“Murray said LaHood called her back Wednesday, saying Washington would receive:
• $2.6 million toward the purchase of a prototype vessel for passenger-only service between Seattle and Bremerton.
• $3 million for the design of a replacement ferry terminal at Anacortes.
• $2 million toward purchase of a passenger ferry to be operated by King County between downtown and West Seattle.
“The only project in this state on the original list of allocations was $750,000 for construction of a terminal for the Guemes Island ferry, operated by Skagit County.
“The allocations announced Wednesday still fall far short of the $56 million Washington had sought. “We didn’t expect to get all the money we asked for, but we certainly expected to get more than we did” on the original list, said state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond.”
To read the full story, go to http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009477599_webmurray15m.html
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