What would it be like if the thousands of drivers commuting to Seattle each day experienced crumbling freeways? Or if the exit to a town was closed off because there wasn’t enough funding to maintain the roads?
That is the equivalent of what we, as residents of an area that is completely dependent on ferry transportation, may be facing. Despite the fact that we are considered part of the highway transportation system, the ferries are treated like the ugly stepchild that has to cut service levels just to make ends meet.
San Juan County residents were in fine form last week when officials from Washington State Ferries held public meetings on the long-range draft plan that outlines the future of our ferry system.
Emotions were kept to a minimum, and everyone who spoke offered articulate opinions on the many facets of this problem.
The resounding public perspective was that the ferry system is underfunded and overlooked by the movers and shakers in Olympia. We are a major component of the transportation system, yet the ferries have been plagued by inadequate public subsidies for years.
The ferries are old. We need new vessels. Faced with a huge debt in coming years, Washington State Ferries feels forced to eliminate routes. Fares will probably be raised yet again.
Raising fares is a band-aid. Canceling routes and reducing the number of new boats only hurts the system in the long run. With limited ferry runs and rapidly degrading boats, how appealing is it to travel to the San Juans? A terrible cycle could ensue: fewer tourists means less money for the ferries and for our local business community, which relies on the tourist season to survive. With this decrease in revenue, WSF may have to cancel even more routes and boats. With less money coming into our communities and fewer options for traveling to the mainland, our population could dwindle. In 50 years, there may not be a state ferry system in the San Juans. The islands will have become so inaccessible that only the extremely wealthy, who either have or can charter their own planes and yachts, will live here.
This is a worst case scenario that seems far-fetched. But when an area’s only means of transportation is being threatened, it has significant implications.
Perhaps it’s time to stop looking to the legislature for an answer. If history is an indication, we won’t get enough funding from the state. We need to get creative and look at alternatives. Should San Juan County step in – perhaps in collaboration with a neighboring county – and put money towards the ferries? Is it possible to refurbish the steel electric class vessels that were pulled from service in 2007?
The Washington State Ferries were majestic boats in their prime. As the gateway to our beautiful San Juans, our ferry system should reflect the image we want to project as a county and as a state. Let’s stop the broken record – the system is underfunded, the boats are aging – and get realistic. If the state won’t save the ferries, it’s up to us. Let’s fight to get Washington State Ferries back to what they once were.
