The state of ferries and the state's big plan: notes on Kingston meeting

The Kingston Citizens’ Advisory Council held a special meeting Sept. 29 at the North Kitsap Fire & Rescue Station for a special presentation by David Moseley, assistant transportation secretary for Washington State Ferries of the Washington State Department of Transportation. The meeting replaced the regularly scheduled October meeting.

About 90 people attended.

The following is a summary of the presentation and question-and-answer period afterwards from minutes taken by KCAC secretary Mary Kulish. Thanks to Walt Elliott of KCAC and the Kingston Ferry Advisory Committee for help in summarizing these notes.

The next meeting of KCAC takes place at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 in the Kingston Community Center.

The state of ferries

At the Sept. 29 meeting of KCAC with Moseley, he said, “My goal is to restore public trust and confidence in the ferry system and return it to financial viability.” Moseley attributed WSF’s financial crisis to the 1999 elimination of the motor vehicle excise tax where the ferry system lost 22 percent of its operating budget and 40 percent of its capital budget.

Moseley’s priorities are to:

Build new boats: Three 144-car vessels will be under construction by the end of 2009. Also planned are two 64-car ferries primarily to serve Port Townsend.

Improve maintenance: WSF is working with the U.S. Coast Guard on more thorough inspection strategies especially with regard to the interior hulls of the vessels.

Talk to communities and riders: Moseley said he’s heard the ferry system did not listen well. To improve communications, he has visited every community served by the ferries.

Complete a long-range plan: WSF needs an additional $3.4 billion over the next 16 years to maintain current services. The Legislature has directed WSF to address this shortfall in the 2009 session. Strategies, including regional taxes, are being investigated.

Cut costs. For example, Moseley reported WSF had reduced staff positions from 321 to 262.

The long-range plan

WSF’s long-range plan focuses on:

1. A reservation system. A pilot program in Port Townsend has worked well. Riders have a certainty of boarding and ferry backups have been eliminated. A reservation system has real potential here once it is tweaked to fit the needs of Kingston.

2. Transit enhancements. The ferry system must mesh with public transit so riders can get where they are going.

3. Pricing strategies. These include “disincentives” such as increased peak hour fares and “incentives” such as discounts for walk-ons and smaller vehicles.

A draft strategic plan will be released in mid-November with public hearings, including one in Kingston, during the first two weeks of December, followed by a presentation to the Legislature in January 2009.

Getting answers

The following summarizes the question and answer period between Moseley and the public attending the meeting.

Q: We need a state transportation plan that includes maintaining and replacing vessels. It should be in the state budget. You need to get our legislators to find the funding rather getting it from the users‘ pocketbooks.

A: That’s exactly what we are doing. Our plan will be presented to the Legislature, and it will be tough issue for the Legislature to deal with.

Q: When I retired to Kingston riding ferries was a viable option. Fares have increased and as a retiree on a fixed income, they really hurt. We can’t support the system without other input.

A: There is no question that fares have reduced ridership.

Q: Is anyone talking about the non-marine highways (our roads) also being financially sustainable?

A: Yes, people are talking about toll roads and other things like that.

Q: Why not split up the ferry and the highway systems?

A: It is helpful to be part of WSDOT. For example, where would we have gotten $600 million over last nine years to sustain the system if we were not part of WSDOT?

Q: Reservations look like a back-door way to raise fares. What about a foot ferry or car ferry from Kingston to Seattle?

A: We haven’t decided to charge for reservations. We don’t charge in Port Townsend. The Legislature told us to get out of the foot-ferry business. We are very aware of the Port of Kingston’s foot-ferry plans. After we solve maintaining the system we have, we can look at ways to improve it.

Q: A lot of times the ferry pulls in (to Edmonds) as the Sounder train is leaving. I need the connections to work.

A: We need to do a better job making connections. We’re changing schedules to meet our requirements. We will do everything we can to match them with train and bus schedules.

Q: When you make changes, monitor how they work and adjust accordingly. The Wave2Go (online ticketing system) card had problems that caused us to ride less and you lost revenue. You also need to advocate for the riders and reduce your labor costs.

A: We must meet the desires of customers, and that’s what we did in Port Townsend. Ask the people of Port Townsend; they love the new system. (Several commented that reservation system in Port Townsend is unreliable for commuters.)

Q: The Governor has asked for a 10 percent budget cut. What would you cut?

A: I have no idea. I’m hopeful we will come out of this Legislative session with the system we now have.

Q: If there’s a reservation system in Kingston, where will you put the cars?

A: There’s a committee working with Kingston on this.

Q: What about getting to hospital appointments if a person doesn’t have reservation?

A: We’ll save room for medical emergencies, vanpools, etc. In Port Townsend, reservations are 70 percent of the boat. There’s a process now for medical appointment priority.

Q: How does a reservation get us through tollbooths faster? What is the cost benefit of Wave2Go?

A: We will need a more robust processing system to do this. We spent $11 million on the Wave2Go system and are addressing the system’s problems.

Q: It seems like locals are being penalized with higher fares to get to work. Why not have something like a hotel tax and tax visitors?

A: Commuters are one-third of the system. A tax may be a possibility.

Q: Why can’t there be equity with other routes so that we don’t pay a lion’s share of the burden?

A: It is something we will look at. (Now all routes pay the same rate per mile except in the central Sound: riders at Kingston, Bainbridge and Bremerton pay a fare based on Bainbridge’s mileage. This is to prevent one route from being overrun with riders looking for the lowest fares.)

Q: The ferry system in British Columbia has lots of services and larger capacity. Why can’t WSF do that?

A: Our staff has talked to them. They have a reservation system and a larger revenue stream. We’re focusing on maintaining the service we have.

Contact David Moseley at moseled@wsdot.wa.gov or (206) 515-3401. The Kingston Ferry Advisory Committee will create a document stating Kingston’s position on the draft plan and invite KCAC co-chairs to sign it.

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