||| from Eric Gourley |||
I read with interest the WSDOT Ferry explanation for their inexcusable delays. Laying the blame on Covid 19, increased ridership, insufficient crews, unscheduled maintenance, and lack of revenue inadequately explains its problems. Even before Covid 19 I can’t remember when any ferry trip was on time. A wordy letter to appease riders has not done anything to solve the problems.
We are full time residents on Orcas. I had surgery at Island Hospital yesterday, 8/20, and booked the 8:55 run to Anacortes and the 7:10 for our return. The Hospital offered us a medical pass but since we had a reservation, I declined. As it turns out a medical pass would not have done us any good. Our 8:55 as usual left 15 minutes late. The 7:10 did not leave until 11:15. We watched the 9:05 scheduled boat actually leave about 15 minutes before us around 11. We arrived at our home near Rosario at 12:45 this morning, 8/21. Is there something wrong with this picture?
The reservation system is also deficient. I almost always have to get up at 7 in the morning to make a reservation on the two week or two day tier. Many times I end up with my reservation “processing,” waiting several minutes, and getting kicked out having to start all over again.
We full time residents on the Island deserve better service. WSDOT has us over a barrel. We cannot come and go as part of the “highway” system without a ferry. Having lived on Orcas for over 20 years, service has declined year by year. To get home at 12:45 am speaks volumes to my point. Friends and neighbors warned us about the dreaded 7:10. This was not an unusual circumstance. It is a poorly managed system only getting worse.
I hesitated to write this letter to Orcas Issues. However, if we do not let our concerns be known, there will be no record to support our claims. I urge Orcas ferry users to address the substandard ferry service every time they encounter a problem. For me I will let our commissioners and state senator know as well.
Eric, exactly right. We were on that 7:10 boat too, arriving in the early hours of this morning. You’re right, too, that it doesn’t do much good posting our frustrations in Orcas Issues. I think most of us agree on this. What we do need to do is put our voices together and, as you suggest, address our concerns to the ferry commissioners and those elected representatives in the column just to the left.
Why not give island permanent residents a ONE hour head start of the two week and two day reservation opportunities. 6am for residents, 7am for all others. Sure you have to get up around 6am but the ones competing would be islanders only. Since we all have “accounts” WSF could certify which ones are residents, perhaps from the voter records. Better chance to get a reservation!
Thank you, you addressed the situation well. My husband and I have also experienced what your describe, and for similiar health-related issues.
When I think about our sad ferry service, I say a little curse for Tim Eyman.
The worse the ferry service, the fewer tourists will come to Orcas. This could work out really well for the island!
My husband and I have also had a similar experience with the “scheduled 7:10” from Anacortes. The WSF explanation that the schedule is not appropriate for the summer heavy traffic makes sense. There are far more cars now than in March. So, why isn’t the schedule changed to reflect the reality of the season? Why are they holding on to a schedule that they know doesn’t work and results in incredible frustration, especially for residents? Makes no sense to me. If the 7:10 can’t possibly leave before 9:10, that should be what the schedule says! Then we can be at the ferry landing somewhere close to when the ferry will actually be leaving.
Shirley,
I wish that you would be right but I fear that will not be the case. We too were on the 3 hour and 30 minute late 7.10pm ferry after an exhausting afternoon at UW Medicine in Seattle. The ferry terminal was packed with visitors/tourists that have made their reservations months ahead, islanders do not have the luxury of being able to plan that far ahead, it would seem to me that an easy solution would be for Washington State ferries to set aside a number of spaces for San Juan Islands residents only, that could be released on the day of the sailing if not used by residents.
It would be very interesting to receive a detailed explanation of how the ferry gets to be 3 hors and 30 minutes late. Sadly all we get is ” sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused you!”
i would be happy to pay more for a locals lane, a locals card, and a locals reservation spot if they would only get their act together and make it happen. It takes longer to get home from Anacortes than it takes to drive across the state. Can you imagine if we were in phase 2 with non essential travel right now?
Ditto. after his heart valve replacement WITH a med pass,
the guy said he’d”try” to squeeze us on. A sick man,
no room because of the tourists -and we were there way early.
Situation ripe for private enterprise and hovercraft.
They do it on the English cHannel…
Privatization isn’t the answer; who would buy and run a system that loses so much money? And “locals only” concepts surely will generate issues as to just who a “local” is. (A voter here? Someone who owns a house here? Someone who does neither but is a full-time renter? The list goes on.)
A few weeks ago I wrote to our Ferry Advisory Committee, recounting what we have all experienced for some time now. The response I got from its chairman was a repeat of WSF’s reasons and justifications but no ideas as to possible remedies.
Down Sound routes also experience delays, some relating to reduced service levels; those delays typically range from 20 minutes to less than an hour. In particular, WSF surely knows of the sad “performance” of the Samish, the boat that operates our 7:10 p.m. Anacortes departure, even as it continues to recommend we arrive at the toll booth 60 to 90 minutes before scheduled departure time.
We deserve better.
When the local tourist based businesses, visitor accommodations, etc. opened up, while WSF was only prepared to offer the reduced Winter schedule level of service, the result was predictable. How can anyone be surprised? Like the old saw says, if you point one finger at WSF, then three point back at you.
If all island lodging businesses were honestly abiding by the 50% occupancy limit (still in place by county health order) or if the county had a way of enforcing that limit, we would not be having the volume of travelers on the ferries. That wouldn’t solve the problems of aging vessels, low crew levels, and COVID impacts, but it would go a long way to help. Other tourist related businesses have no way of stopping people from coming here. We could all just close entirely to discourage travel, but we wouldn’t survive to reopen again. Be careful what you ask for. Transitioning from a tourism economy may be possible (to what? I haven’t heard any suggestions), but it can’t happen overnight.
I logged on at 6:59 AM just now to change my Wednesday reservation coming back to Orcas. When the system cycled through at 7:00AM, ALL the slots for ALL the remaining boats were full when just one minute before, there (should have) remained the last 1/3 of the slots to be released. Something is seriously amiss here. How can 1/3 of four different scheduled ferry boats worth of space disappear in under a minute?