Posted on 03/10/2008 3:10:26 PM PDT by kiriath_jearim
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. (AP) - Starved of money for nearly a decade, the nation's largest ferry system has hit rough water.
The ferries that cruise Puget Sound and surrounding waters have become symbols of the Pacific Northwest, recalling its rich maritime history and figuring prominently in movies and television shows such as "Grey's Anatomy." But beneath their cheery green-and-white paint scheme, the aging ferries are rusty, old and unreliable.
Some boats have been yanked from service for repairs. Routes have been canceled and schedules thrown off. Washington state commuters are frustrated.
"We have a love-fear relationship with the ferries. It's our highway and there's always massive uncertainty," said Pete Gillis, 38, as he caught a ride to Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound, en route to Port Townsend, north of Seattle.
The system's problems date back to 1999, when voters repealed a vehicle-registration tax that provided much of the money to build, maintain and operate ferries. That caused fare increases, cuts in service and delays in maintaining and replacing boats.
"We had this aging, deteriorating fleet that was ignored and put on the back burner," said Democratic state Rep. Sherry Appleton, whose district west of the Seattle mainland includes three ferry runs.
State Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond says relief is on the way in the form of 13 new boats to be built over the next 20 years.
"We've allowed the system to limp along, ignoring the long-term consequences," she said. "We were delaying the inevitable, and now we see the problem square in the face."
The Washington ferry system hauls 24 million passengers each year, about a quarter of all U.S. ferry passengers. Its 24 vessels range from a tiny boat that links Tacoma to Vashon Island, to a tourist- friendly international run that winds through the scenic San Juan Islands to Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
On upscale Bainbridge Island, thousands of commuters take the ferry to work in downtown Seattle, filling boats that can carry 2,500 passengers on each 30-minute crossing.
For many riders, it's a pleasant time for drinking coffee and reading the morning paper. Some catch up on work using free wireless Internet access. Others just catch a few extra winks.
It's not cheap, even though the state subsidizes the system. A walk-on passenger pays $6.70 a day—$134 a month, minus commuter discounts. Driving a car onto the ferry costs $11.55 each direction, or $460 a month for 20 workdays.
But many commuters cheerfully swallow those prices, making up the difference on cheaper real estate across the water from pricey Seattle.
Riders interviewed on a recent rainy day appreciate the convenience of the ferries, but they have grown impatient with the service disruptions and with fares that have soared 70 percent over the past seven years.
"We love our ferries—and would love them more if our lives didn't depend on them so much," said Phil Herbert, 66, a retired farmer from Port Townsend. "It's taking longer and longer to get places."
Canceled runs and uncertain schedules also play havoc with truckers, especially those hauling perishable products, forcing them to use longer land routes or shift to more distant ferries.
The problems can hurt tourism and business, too. When auto ferry service was canceled to Port Townsend, business plummeted in the Victorian village, which serves as gateway to the vast Olympic Peninsula. Some islanders grouse about being unable to attend concerts or other events in Seattle because of poor nighttime ferry service.
Commuter ferries are often newer boats with comfy lounges and serving wine, sushi, microbrews and designer coffee. But riders on the less- frequent routes endure decades-old boats that are creaky, dingy and prone to breakdowns.
After the 1999 tax vote, lawmakers eventually came up with $350 million to build four new "superferries" that could carry 144 vehicles and 2,500 passengers.
But five years later, those vessels are still on the drawing board because of legal battles with shipbuilders and political squabbles over the size of the boats.
Meanwhile, the fleet gets older. Some boats date to the 1920s, and others are more than 40 years old.
Just before Thanksgiving, state officials pulled the four oldest vessels out of service, fearing they were no longer safe after inspectors found corrosion and cracks in the hulls.
The Legislature approved spending $100 million to build three replacements that can carry 50 to 80 cars. Design work is also under way on three more superferries.
The ferry agency also is being reorganized to repair the system's battered reputation.
The new ferry chief is David Moseley, 60, who spent most of his career as an administrator for Seattle and other cities. With no maritime background, Moseley was purposely chosen to reform the agency.
"The ferries are not just a Washington state icon. They're a lifeline for people," Moseley said.
But Pete Gillis, the commuter riding from Bainbridge to Port Townsend, is among those who remain skeptical.
"People's faith has really taken a big blow in the last couple of years," he said. "I don't have a lot of faith that it will improve."
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On the Net:
Washington ferries: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov
WA ping...
Sad to hear this - I had been under the impression that the Washington State Ferry system was one state government-run entity that was well run. We’ve taken the Anacortes-Orcas Island ferry many times when our daughter lived on Orcas.
But not enough to pay the actual cost of riding one.
They were putting new superstructures on 60yr old frames (this back in the ‘80’s) - so today those frames are like 80yrs old but look modern ... whole bottom beams rusted out ....scary.
Privatize.
“They were putting new superstructures on 60yr old frames (this back in the ‘80’s) - so today those frames are like 80yrs old but look modern ... whole bottom beams rusted out ....scary.”
****
I thought that only happened to aging Hollywood celebrities who visit their plastic surgeons...
As a prior Wasingtonian, the tax increase almost a decade ago should have been approved....then the gripes would not be coming out now. These ferries are expensive to operate and consumers of the services should be willing to support their olny link with the “mainland”.
Alaska is not far from this action.
Exactly! They used to be private runs...until they were socialized, they could have private ferries running in a couple of months if they would turn lose of control.
Btttt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puget_Sound_Navigation_Company
The Puget Sound Navigation Company (PSNC) was founded by Joshua Green in 1913.[1] It operated a fleet of steamboats and ferries on Puget Sound in Washington and the Georgia Strait in British Columbia. Known colloquially as the Black Ball Line, the PSNC achieved a “virtual monopoly” on cross-sound traffic in the 1930s and competed with the Canadian Pacific Railway’s steamships on several routes.[2]
Before 1927, when the company was controlled by Joshua Green, the house flag consisted of a design by Mrs. Green, a red star on a white diamond on a blue background. After 1927, when Joshua Green sold his interest to the Peabody family, the Black Ball company flag was transferred over to Puget Sound Navigation Co., and the company became known as the Black Ball Line.[3]
PSNC began to struggle following World War II, as operating costs increased and its unions threatened strike action. PSNC petitioned the State Utilities Commission for permission to raise its fares, but was rebuffed. Following a long series of court battles, PSNC’s unionized employees finally called a strike. The company responded not by hiring strike breakers, but by halting operations, hoping public pressure would convince the State to permit a fare increase. The State was unrelenting, however, and after having effectively forced the company out of business, PSNC’s domestic operations assets were purchased by the state of Washington’s Department of Transportation for the sum of $4.9 million in early 1951, creating Washington State Ferries on May 31.[2][4][5]
PSNC retained the assets used in their Canadian operations and after the 1951 downsizing, operated a much-reduced fleet as Black Ball Ferries, Ltd. This company sold most of its assets to the provincial government of British Columbia in November, 1961, creating BC Ferries.[6][7]
The current descendant of the Black Ball Line, Blackball Transport, Inc., was founded in 1936 from Black Ball Freight Service, a road transport subsidiary of PSNC. Blackball Transport owns and operates a single ferry, the M/V Coho between Victoria, British Columbia and Port Angeles, Washington.[7]
Ferry rides were cheap entertainment when I was a grad student at UW. We would pack a lunch and take a ferry to wherever, then turn around and come back to Seattle. I’d never seen views like that before in my life and being on the water all day after being cooped up on campus for weeks was great for our mental health.
I don’t miss the leftists, but I do miss the beautiful PNW.
After 24 years of democrat Govs, the wheels fall off the bus. Whodathunkit?
Exactly.
The WA State Ferry system is corrupt and incompetent. Check it out, they still do not have the cash handling systems worked out for taking tickets. This has been going on for a long time.
Until the system is privatized nothing will change and the state will not privatize the system until they are bankrupt.
schu
The boats may be in bad shape, but I’ll wager HUGE money the retirement plans for each employee are in tip-top shape.
:)
Great pics! Looks like a great way for ferry riders to get their cars washed, too.
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