Spring Schedule Starts this Sunday
— by Margie Doyle —
Starting March 20 there will be a change of Washington State Ferries (WSF) policy re the time when reservation holders are to arrive at the ferry terminal– what WSF calls the “arrival window.”
Jim Corenman, Chair of the San Juan County Ferries Advisory Committee (FAC) quotes from the WSFweb page titled “Terms and Conditions Prior to Reservation Payment” “Effective March 20, 2016, reservation check-in at the tollbooth must occur 30 minutes or more prior to scheduled departure. If not checked in by this time, the reservation will not be valid and you will travel standby (on the next available sailing)”
Reservation holders who arrive later will be converted to standby status and put in line with other standbys. Their reservations will be redeemed, but they may not make the sailing depending on the number of standbys already in line.
This policy will be enforced. The only exception will be when there are service disruptions causing vessel delays of 15 minutes or more and an alert has been sent by Customer Service advising the public of the delay. The arrival time requirement will then be pushed back in alignment with the adjusted sailing time, i.e. 30 minutes in advance of the new sailing time.
The Spring Schedule will also begin on March 20: see https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/pdf/2016Spring.pdf
This is so confusing and frustrating: I’ve arrived *45* minutes before a boat and waited in line more than 15 minutes to get to the check-in booth, which will then invalidate my reservation I showed up on time for!? Madness.
What does “Their reservation will be redeemed” mean? Does it mean you won’t lose your $10 deposit even if you don’t get on? Thanks.
I cannot believe that if you arrive AT THE QUEUE before the window closes, you don’t get your ferry. It’s not our fault that the ferry system is not processing people fast enough. It’s going to be a long summer.
What if you get stuck in Seattle traffic? This has happened to me several times. All I want to do is just get to my home!
Remember their slogan when they promoted this whole reservation thing?
“Say goodbye to fery lines/wait times”
Why should those without reservations get any priority at all over those who have reservations? Standby should mean standby: if there is still room on the boat at sailing time then standbys can get on. I get it that a large number of standbys can’t be loaded at the last minute, but if you have a reservation and drive up before sailing, why shouldn’t you be able to go to the head of the line of standbys?
I wonder if they couldn’t have a separate window for those with reservations? When traveling on other ferries in our system I’ve noticed they sometimes have windows for those with reservations, and other windows for those without. That might make a difference.
It’s going to be a long, painful, and thanks to this new policy… Angry summer. My apologies in advance to the booth workers on Orcas. Big apologies to the Anacortes side as well, where there appears to a constant failure in the training department on a seemingly weekly basis.
Already, the car back-up on Orcas is extending out onto the road on normal weekdays, causing serious traffic safety issues and creating further delays in processing. Now imagine that because of crowded off-loading traffic that you are stuck on the road and delayed in getting to the booth, thus losing your reservation. Yep… Angry customers! WSF officials that are making these decisions don’t even use the ferry system in most cases. These are disconnected office drones making decisions on a financial risk/reward basis, not based on what is most effective for local users.
So, EVERY Orcas driver needs to photograph, document and report EVERY issue that they encounter. It’s not enough to have things happen and then complain to your neighbor. We need to report every issue that occurs. Take a picture of your car clock when you arrive at the end of the line, and then again when you get to the booth. Take a picture of poorly loaded ferries. Take notes of unsafe traffic back-ups. I will post contact information for all the WSF employees and local elected officials that need to hear from you here.
I have to ask if the “powers that be” have really thought this through well enough? Surely they have not taken into consideration that it is extremely unfair and that they will lose support and respect from the folks who supported their plan in the beginning. (but isn’t that so often typical of promise-makers??)
I, too, apologize ahead to the toll-workers. We have known most of them for many years and they always take the brunt of the lawmakers. And often with a smile. Not fair for them as well as us.
Perhaps we need to see how this all turns out. But letters like these will surely get their attention.
Well, the reservation system has come home to roost. When it started I had just had a serious medical condition and with my medical loading pass in hand, I could not get near the ferry due to the long lines at the toll booth. I continue to think that this was a poorly thought out plan and should be discarded until someone puts some thought into solving the myriad of problems!!! Merry
Over the past winter, under present rules, arriving in the line to check in 30 minutes or more before sailing time and hasn’t cancelled our reservation when we finally arrived at the check in window even within 30 minutes of sailing time. Under new rules, that scenario will get us in the back of the stand by line. So why have a reservation? Better to be in front of stand by than in back. Leave it to the ferry folk to renege on promises made way back when and deliver another poorly thought out band aid solution to what should be a minor problem. Can hardly wait to need to go to mainland for doctor’s appointment in August.
This is distressing. The system is becoming more punitive, and it’s already too restrictive.
Our ferry terminals do not have the space or the infrastructure to handle long lines (which back up our county road).
All I see happening is everyone trying to get there just before the cutoff window and causing everyone in line to miss the time. It doesn’t matter how long before a departure WTF sets the cutoff time, people will always try to get there right before it and cause a bottleneck during peak times. It’s human nature.
I understand why they are trying to do this but it just won’t solve the problem because it’s the wrong solution! I feel so bad for the employees at the landing, because their hands are tied….
I’d like to hear WSF respond to the questions: What problem is this attempting to solve, and how do they believe this will solve it? The Q&A we will all experience: What are the unintended consequences of this decision…
With a bit of creative planning, the ‘Good to Go’ technology already used by WSDOT 520/405 tolling could be used to automate reservation check-ins to a non-trivial degree.
If you show up and get online on time per the new rules and have a reservation, you should be guaranteed a place on the ferry! How can anyone logically or fairly argue to the contrary? From what I’ve read above, even if you follow the rules: i.e., make a reservation and “timely” get on line, you can still be denied a spot of the ferry (because the line to get to the booth took too long). Conclusion: you can follow the new rules but yet still be punished for having done so. How can this be a sound policy/rule? Someone should mark the last car in line at the must-show-up time. Yes, it’s cumbersome, but if you’re going to change the rules, they have work. If you follow the rules and they don’t work, the rules need to change (yet again).
Is there any way to send these comments from locals to the higher-ups in the ferry system who need to see them? I mean, not just individuals writing comments in this local on-line news sheet, or individuals sending their comments one at a time to the ferry administration, but is there a way to send this whole comment section to somebody who will read it and pay attention?
For that matter… is there anybody in power who does pay attention?
The reservations system was supposed to minimize the time people have to wait in the ferry line. Now, it is actually mandating long waits!
The Ferry Riders Opinion Group (FROG) is running a survey about the winter ferry schedule. If you want to weigh in, please do so. Sign up at https://voiceofwashingtonsurvey.com/ (for statewide issues plus some ferry issues) or https://ferryridersopiniongroup.com/ (for detailed ferry specific issues) and you will receive a link to the survey. It took me about 10 minutes to fill out, and it was a little bit buggy.
Just recently we had reservations on the ferry and had to wait in line to get to the booth…..we were on time by the skin of our teeth because of waiting for the cars in front of us…Is this fair?? No …..it is not…and especially to the person in the booth who
Has to hear all the complaints….
Dwight Hutchinson is WSF’s Reservation Manager, from whose office the decision was made to implement the new 30 minute arrival policy. His email is
hutchid@wsdot.wa.gov. Office number is 206.515.3652, mobile is
206.437.3275. As I understand it, both the FAC and commissioners informed WSF of their opposition to this policy.
Also, bear in mind that when the booth at Orcas was moved out into the access lanes, we lost ten car spaces, which means that ten cars that would normally be in the access lanes will now be out on the road. This is why traffic is already backed up.
Thank you to those of you who understand that terminal workers are processing the line as quickly as possible. WSF powers-that-be tend to blame any glitch in the reservation system on the booth workers, as do a number of customers.
Terminal workers can always supply you with a “communication form” that you can fill out with your concerns and send in to WSF.
OK, Voice of Opposition here. I have changed my mind. I have always thought that there should be more standby spaces, and this pretty much guarantees it. Those of us who like to go spontaneously without reservations will now be able (effectively)to line-jump ahead of all those who thought that they had a guaranteed spot on the ferry but couldn’t get to the booth quite on time. 35 minutes ahead R Us! I like it fine.
Before the reservation came along it was first come first serve; now with the reservation it’s again first come first serve. So from what I see nothing has changed. Get it together guys or you are going to have many unhappy Islanders.
I told you so. I told you so. I told you so.
When this whole mess was first proposed I posted on every site I could find and sent my thoughts to the ferry system and to every silly survey from FROG or the ferry system. I have said the same thing. JUNK THIS RESERVATION SYSTEM!!!
We had an even handed and democratic system before. Rich or poor you just showed up early enough to make your boat. Bored? Bring a book.
This system was thought up to benefit a few tourist oriented interests who wanted to create a privileged class of users. A Lexus Lane so to speak.
Now I am vindicated but it doesn’t give me much satisfaction as the people responsible for ignoring contrarian views will suffer no consequences.
Bureaucrats are NEVER fired. Just promoted. Watch and see.
I will continue to forward all comments to WSF.
Please feel free to email me directly at rickh@sanjuanco.com if there are additional comments that are not currently posted.
The County FAC needs to continue its push back. The Council members need to get aggressive with WSF. Our State representatives, including Sen. Ranker, and Rep. Jeff Morris need to weigh in on this issue.
The original reasons for the reservation system were to preclude the need for additional holding facilities (a bigger ferry lot) as traffic increased, AND the convenience to travelers (that’s us) to eliminate the guessing about arrival times.
There is not a single comment in this string that supports the WSF changes. There had better be a series of public meetings on this because this change basically negates the advantages of having reservations.
The cut-off SHOULD BE that time before the sailing when the crews begin to load the boats. At that time, the crews need to know that there are “x” number of cars traveling to a particular island, particularly on multi-stop sailings.
This discussion needs to continue !!!!!!!!!!
WOW! There are a LOT of people angry over this recent slap in the face from the ferry hierarchy!
Even though I do believe Justin’s ideas are good ones, it is too time-consuming for most folks. And not everyone has a cell-phone/camera. Too many folks will not do it. I know Rick Hughes has gone to bat for us but I personally believe what would be most effective would be for Rick to arrange to have the powers that be that made these regulations(and ALL of them) come to the different islands and look folks in the face and “hear” them. Perhaps if they really feel our frustration they will seriously work on a solution. But most importantly, they will see that we aren’t going to take this sitting down! There are enough folks really angry about this latest news.
i vote for Dr. Ron and Maggie Schuler’s idea. Rick Hughes or Kevin Ranker, would you make it so for us? We need a town hall meeting on every island, recorded and written letters handed in and faxed to WSF.
This is not the booth workers’ fault! The fault lies in a faulty system. Be kind to the booth workers; they are caught in the middle of this.
message from Matisse, my new pup…
The ferry reservation system missed the boat!