Islanders fear that the local economy and motorcyclists will be hit hardest by a proposed ferry fare increase. More than 25 residents assembled Wednesday at the Freeland Lutheran Trinity Church to express their concerns.

The Washington State Transportation Commission and its Tariff Policy Committee is currently collecting public comment on the 2006 Tariff proposal to raise prices.

A general fare increase of 6 percent plus nickel rounding is suggested, effective May 1. As an example, the Clinton-Mukilteo Passenger Fare would rise from $3.60 to $3.85. The car and driver fare would jump from $6.30 to $6.65.

Under the proposed fare increase plan motorcyclists would face up to a 16 percent increase, however.

The proposal also recommends changing the standard vehicle to motorcycle fare ratio from 5-to-1 to 4-to-1, calculated on the vehicle portion of the fare. This proposal is based on space equity principles and would result in motorcycle/driver fares increasing from 11 to 16 percent, depending on the route, according to the ferry system’s Tariff Policy Committee.

On the Clinton-Mukilteo route motorcycle riders would pay $3.15, an increase from the current rate of $2.70.

Motorcyclists say they are being treated unfairly because they take up less space on the ferry but are being asked to pay more.

Many bike riders make a conscious decision to commute by bike to save gas for economic and environmental reasons, said Dan Branscum of Langley.

“You should be encouraging bike riders, not discouraging us. And your prices do that,” Branscum said.

He also pointed out that more bikes could be parked on the ferry if the loading was handled differently. Branscum said if tires were crossed, a ratio of 6-to-1 could fit on the ferry.

Bikers unhappy with rate hike

However, fare committee members said that there are concerns about loading times and liability issues in incidents where vehicles are damaged.

Mike Lauver of Greenbank said to many the logic behind the pricing is lost.

A car with one passenger takes up much more space than four bikes plus passengers, and it doesn’t occur often that there is more than one commuter per car. Motorcyclists already pay more for their space on the ferry, even if a car would have four passengers.

“Sixteen percent is out of line,” Lauver said.

Committee members said that the passenger portion of the ticket is the same for cars and motorcycles.

Riders, though, said they generate a lot of revenue for the ferry system.

“We are your best customers currently,” said Rob Scott of Langley.

“Four persons per car rarely happen,” he said. But each motorcycle has one driver.

Branscum said that he felt the commission had been exclusive of bikers in their planning and that motorcyclists could be helpful in designing new plans to store bikes on the ferry. Loading more bikes means more paying riders.

Bruce Brown said that the current way of parking bikes on the ferry needs improvement. He said he feels unsafe and trapped if parked between big cars down the middle of the ferry. He said there are other places on the boat that are better suitable for bikes but are not utilized.

He suggested the back of the ship.

“There are places on the boat where we don’t interfere,” he said.

Lauver said the nooks and cranny spaces are under-utilized.

However, the commission said there are not sufficient nooks and cranny spaces to fit all bikes on board, and more motorcycles are utilizing standard vehicle lanes.

Regardless, owners of small motorcycles think that size of the bike should also be considered in pricing decisions.

Brian Mritin said bikes should be charged depending on size, because his motorcycle is considerably smaller than others, such as a large Harley Davidson bike, for example.

John Solin said that the commission could be alienating an important group of ferry customers with questionable financial results. The price increase should be evenly spread out across all tariff groups, he said.

Economic impact is questioned

Jerry Valade asked the commission to keep Whidbey Island’s economy in mind when deciding on the proposal. Expensive travel from and to the mainland may keep visitors away and force commuters to move off the island.

“This money comes right out of the Whidbey Island economy,” Valade said. Restaurants and shops will feel the impact because people won’t come to Whidbey if it costs too much for a family to take the trip.

Visitors are spending more than $1 million a year in the area, making the tourism industry one of the strongest components of Whidbey Island’s economy, said Sharon Hart, executive director of the Island County Economic Development Council.

Increased crossing costs could hurt the tourism industry, she said.

Ferries get widespread use

In 2004, approximately 4 million people rode the ferry system-wide. One third of Whidbey Island’s 58,000 residents commute daily.

The increase is expected to generate an extra $7.5 million for ferry operation funds; Whidbey Island passengers using the Clinton and Keystone terminals may generate an estimated 15 to 20 percent of this revenue.

Fares account for 74 percent of the ferry system’s operating expenses during 2005. The total operating cost in 2005 was $178,617,000, according to the Washington State Transportation Commission.

Whidbey Island routes have continually been some of Washington’s most profitable ferry sailings. Yet the island is one of the most vulnerable to the increased charges of transportation, Hart said.

Even though Whidbey Island passengers already generate a significant portion of the revenue, they would be punished with the increase, she said.

People may also chose not to live on Whidbey Island.

“Increased travel cost are certainly a negative when choosing residential locations,” Hart said.

People may chose to live off-island if it is too expensive to get to work by ferry, she added, and Whidbey Island may become unattractive for manufacturers due to the high transportation cost.

Commercial accounts are doubly stressed by not only increasing hauling charges, but also by WSF policies that require prepaid frequent user passes and a minimum balance requirement, Hart said.

Hart urged the committee to carefully analyze the impact on the community before making a decision.

“Whidbey Island gets less for more,” Lauver said, referring to a cut in sailings and service and the increase in fare prices.

Tim Johnson said he understands that it costs a lot of money to operate the ferry, but there are other sources of revenue. He suggested advertising on the ferries, but warned they shouldn’t be turned into floating billboards.

Johnson also said the state should make sure to award all renovations and building projects to the lowest bidder, “so the state’s money is spent wisely,” he said.

Finally, Solin urged the committee to tell customers the truth.

Based on documents and brochures created by the Washington State Transportation Commission, the increase is advertised as a 6 percent increase. The increase is actually about 6.2 to 6.5 percent on average, and certain passenger groups, such as the motorcyclists, face increases of 16 percent or more.

“It’s not 6 percent,” Solin said. “Be upfront with the public. The public is not stupid.”

Review process continues

Eight meetings were conducted all over the Puget Sound area to gather public comment on the proposal. The Transportation Commission will hold a public adoption hearing on March 23 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Puget Sound Regional Council Offices located at 1011 Western Ave., Suite 500 in Seattle.

At that meeting, the commission will take formal testimony concerning the proposal, review customer comments that have been gathered and make decisions based on the Tariff Policy Committee’s recommendations.

“The gathering of public opinion on the proposal is very important to the overall tariff process,” said Traci Brewer-Rogstad, director of operations at Washington State Ferries.

“The Tariff Policy Committee worked long hours to develop this proposal,” she said. “After we gather public comment, at the meetings, via e-mail or the other ways we have to communicate, they will meet again and review their proposal based on the comments. Public involvement in this process works, people do listen and changes have been made to past proposals based on comments. Customers should be comfortable that their opinions will be heard.”

The public may continue to comment by e-mail at tariff@wsdot.wa.gov.