A significant number of Whidbey Island residents attended a meeting hosted by Washington State Ferry administrators on Jan. 5 at the Useless Bay Country Club regarding the changes in the ferry service. The changes that are proposed between the Mukilteo and Clinton run would have huge and adverse affects on the ability to commute to and from the island, with a consequence of decreased tourism and lost business revenue.

As we were told after the meeting, the changes proposed are a done deal.

I, for one, am disgusted with government officials asking for feedback when, in reality, these meetings are smokescreens for actions already decided. The proposed cost- saving measures are these:

A reservation system will be implemented. A deposit will need to be made at the time of the reservation. If the driver does not call ahead to cancel the reservation, the deposit will be lost.

Increases in fares will be tied to the cost of gasoline, and regular yearly increases are to be expected.

There is no dedicated fund for the replacement and repairs of ferries. New ferries must be built in Washington state by lawful contract, which eliminates bids for better prices of new ferry boats in other locations or countries.

There will be no back-up ferry boats available on the runs. Only one ferry is planned between Port Townsend and Coupeville.

There will be no extra service times for boats to run during the summer months of high tourism.

The state of Washington does not include the ferries as part of the highway system. Residents are unfairly taxed, as we pay taxes on the highways and also the ferries.

As more than one resident pointed out, money has been wasted which could have gone to fixing the ferries. One contractor was given

10 million dollars for the development of a road to the properties he intended for a housing complex which he later cancelled.

The Washington state assistant transportation secretary for ferries stated at the meeting that since reservation systems work elsewhere, they should work here as well. This is irrelevant; many ferries do well without such a system. Furthermore, it is not readily apparent that this system will reduce costs. Adding another system will add another — undoubtedly expensive — layer in WSF’s bureaucratic structure. Furthermore, there is no evidence that WSDOT has exercised diligence in trimming the fat from its internal operations.

No one has actually reported on the lost revenue that is certain to occur if Whidbey Island’s economy is devastated by lost jobs, lost tourism and lost businesses. This lost revenue in taxes may be greater than any cost-saving measure presently planned, but no one has bothered to look at any alternatives.

It will be a sad day when residents will not be able to get home because they did not make a reservation that they could keep due to unforeseen delays. Cancelling a reservation will not be convenient unless a cell phone is available in the car. Not everyone has cell phones! In these economic hard times, taxing residents for roads and ferries is outrageous!

WSF’s Mukilteo-Clinton services will bear an inequitable burden of cutbacks compared to other routes. The suggestion that bus routes can provide improved commuting is bogus. According to a local TV news department, bus routes are also going to be cut as part of additional cost-saving measures

I am calling for Island residents to act now by contacting Senator Mary Margaret Haugen via e-mail or phone. She is the chair of the Washington State Senate Transportation Committee and has voted in favor of a reservation system. Her e-mail address is: www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/haugen. Her phone number is 360-387-8093.

Washington State Ferries will take public comment only for another week. The e-mail address for comments is http://wsdot.wa.gov/ferries.

The author of this guest viewpoint, Paulette Becker, is the Washington State Democrats’ committeewoman for Island County.