the system simply doesn't work! Not much thought went into it except how to sell it.
A
Anji Ringzin
11 years ago
There are some ways in which this system is working, especially if you are planning a trip way ahead. It has been suggested on a Facebook page where Islanders are discussing this, that a system be deployed rather like BC ferries where 50% is able to be reserved for a small fee, and the rest are first come first served as before. Another option is that there be a lane for people whose drivers licenses show they live in the San Juans. Apparently there is some case law that might prohibit that, but couldn't.'t that case law be challenged? The ferries are after all our roads.
A
Anonymous
11 years ago
. I had a root canal emergency and had to go to a specialist in Burlington. They called and said I could come the next morning. Without reservation system it would have been easy to just get on the early boat. But with reservation system was no way able to get on any boat.........The system is wrong and the designers of this system do not have to live with this terrible system !!
K
Kristine Brown
11 years ago
I am also from Friday Harbor, not Gig Harbor.
K
Kristine Brown
11 years ago
I am happy with the reservation system, as a business owner, I can schedule my pick-ups and know that I have a place coming back. However, I think the communication lines need to be better at how to use reservations. There is still room to get on early morning boats and late evening boats with no problems. People don't have to make reservations, they just have to wait like they always have to get on the next available boat. The popular boats were always hard to get on. Maybe a solution is to leave 25% of the boat open for those who can't or won't make reservations.
T
Thea Patten
11 years ago
This petition suggests creating a peak sailing times surcharge to discourage people from using those boats. Please DO NOT do this. Wages in San Juan County are among the lowest in the state, and living expenses are among the highest. Should the most desirable times be made prohibitive to the ordinary working people who live here in an effort to free up prime spots for wealthier travelers and tourists ? I think not!
Note: I do not live in "Gig Harbor." I have lived in San Juan County for 44 years.
L
Linnea Anderson
11 years ago
As a full time island resident I am frustrated with the reservation system. This has add an additional layer of difficulty to our already complicated travel options. We are remote, and I have found that I leave less frequently than I did a year ago. I continue to keep an open mind, but I have to to e,perience how this has made things easier for me our guests wishing to visit. Please consider repealing the reservation system for the san juan routes.
respectfully,
Linnea Anderson
J
Juniper Maas
11 years ago
make %50 of the boat reservable. Charge an extra %20 for people who want to make a reservation.
P
Patricia Brightman
11 years ago
Featured
This system can but those that have little in a very difficult place. Some have no way to put up the $20 to make a round trip reservation due to having no card. Also this system limits islanders leaving the island whenever we want. I am feeling captured on the island.
L
Linda Bowe
11 years ago
The reservation system doesn't work for all! It was designed for the tourists and people that don't have an agenda. For those islanders that depend on the ferry system, it's very inconvenient. There was nothing wrong with the way things were run before, it had worked for many decades. "If it works don't fix it, you'll probably screw it up!". That's what has happened to the ferry system.
E
Elizabeth Schaltenbrand
11 years ago
As a brand-new resident of Friday Harbor, I don't have a lot of experience to draw on when giving an opinion on the ferry system. However, as I am a nurse at Peace Island Medical Center, the comment made by Linda Smith, above, deeply concerns me. The residents of the islands must be able to access transportation when they need it, not be held hostage by a reservation system that can be difficult to navigate even under the best circumstances. WSDOT must understand that not everyone on the ferry is a tourist, and those of us who choose to live here have, in large part, no alternative to the ferry system. When residents cannot get the medical care they need because of the reservation system, the problem becomes one of public health and safety, not just convenience.
J
Job Anne Buchanan
11 years ago
WSF please read and understand what this is doing to the quality of life for island residents.
L
Linda Smith
11 years ago
I am a widow alone in Friday Harbor. I travel to the mainland to see doctors or visit family in Seattle. I have two little dogs who travel with me. It is difficult for me to make reservations when I am on the road, I don't even know how to do it from my phone. I never know how long my appointments and visits will last so I have not been going to several appointments. It is not easy to be old with no one to help and to have to look out for dogs not knowing if and when we can get home. I came home a day early and got charged the cancellation fee. It is hard for older people.
D
Debbie Pawlak
11 years ago
My idea is to have a sticker that residents may put on their car that allows them access anytime without having to stop at the pay booth. The sticker charges their credit card automatically so there is no waiting in the toll booth line. They can have designated lines to go to or go through the lane assignment booth. The toll roads in Florida work great with this kind of system. Look up Sun Pass. Residents might be allowed one per resident or two per family. Residents could qualify by having to live on the islands for a minimum of six months. This idea would eliminate residents having to make a reservation or wait in lines.
I
Irma Espinosa
11 years ago
I do not think this reservation would work there is a lot of workers who say "let's see If we can fit you" no we don't like it I love in lopez island
I
Irma Espinosa
11 years ago
I do not think this reservation would work there is a lot of workers who say "let's see If we can fit you" no we don't like it I love in lopez island
R
ryan miller
11 years ago
Featured
I agree with making a much larger percentage of the boat capacity first come first serve. Having to reserve a ferry for Doctor appointments 2 or 3 months out is rather stressful. Reserving a ferry for needed shopping trips during peak travel times in summer season is very stressful.
C
CedarBough Saeji
11 years ago
residents of the islands have always known how to navigate the ferries to avoid the congestion to the extent possible. Online information for tourist about congestion could also help them plan their trips. If they still insist on Friday night to Sunday afternoon sailings, then they will be forewarned of the difficulties and wait times. The reservation system reduces any sort of spontaneity or joy in trips off island.
C
charles prince
11 years ago
How about HALF of the ferry can be reserved in advance? Then at least people who live on the islands would have a chance of getting home in the event of an unplanned trip.
M
Michael J. Paredes
11 years ago
The reservation system appears to be designed to limit ridership so as not to have to provide additional service (add another ferry) during the peak traveling months.
Island businesses are and will suffer, by the lack of business during the "ferry wait times", ie; restaurants and gift shops. These businesses make the bulk of their income during the summer months, and is spent on the island throughout the year.
This system is clearly for the convenience of the DOT Bureaucrats with little regard for the state's citizens.
the system simply doesn't work! Not much thought went into it except how to sell it.
There are some ways in which this system is working, especially if you are planning a trip way ahead. It has been suggested on a Facebook page where Islanders are discussing this, that a system be deployed rather like BC ferries where 50% is able to be reserved for a small fee, and the rest are first come first served as before. Another option is that there be a lane for people whose drivers licenses show they live in the San Juans. Apparently there is some case law that might prohibit that, but couldn't.'t that case law be challenged? The ferries are after all our roads.
. I had a root canal emergency and had to go to a specialist in Burlington. They called and said I could come the next morning. Without reservation system it would have been easy to just get on the early boat. But with reservation system was no way able to get on any boat.........The system is wrong and the designers of this system do not have to live with this terrible system !!
I am also from Friday Harbor, not Gig Harbor.
I am happy with the reservation system, as a business owner, I can schedule my pick-ups and know that I have a place coming back. However, I think the communication lines need to be better at how to use reservations. There is still room to get on early morning boats and late evening boats with no problems. People don't have to make reservations, they just have to wait like they always have to get on the next available boat. The popular boats were always hard to get on. Maybe a solution is to leave 25% of the boat open for those who can't or won't make reservations.
This petition suggests creating a peak sailing times surcharge to discourage people from using those boats. Please DO NOT do this. Wages in San Juan County are among the lowest in the state, and living expenses are among the highest. Should the most desirable times be made prohibitive to the ordinary working people who live here in an effort to free up prime spots for wealthier travelers and tourists ? I think not! Note: I do not live in "Gig Harbor." I have lived in San Juan County for 44 years.
As a full time island resident I am frustrated with the reservation system. This has add an additional layer of difficulty to our already complicated travel options. We are remote, and I have found that I leave less frequently than I did a year ago. I continue to keep an open mind, but I have to to e,perience how this has made things easier for me our guests wishing to visit. Please consider repealing the reservation system for the san juan routes. respectfully, Linnea Anderson
make %50 of the boat reservable. Charge an extra %20 for people who want to make a reservation.
This system can but those that have little in a very difficult place. Some have no way to put up the $20 to make a round trip reservation due to having no card. Also this system limits islanders leaving the island whenever we want. I am feeling captured on the island.
The reservation system doesn't work for all! It was designed for the tourists and people that don't have an agenda. For those islanders that depend on the ferry system, it's very inconvenient. There was nothing wrong with the way things were run before, it had worked for many decades. "If it works don't fix it, you'll probably screw it up!". That's what has happened to the ferry system.
As a brand-new resident of Friday Harbor, I don't have a lot of experience to draw on when giving an opinion on the ferry system. However, as I am a nurse at Peace Island Medical Center, the comment made by Linda Smith, above, deeply concerns me. The residents of the islands must be able to access transportation when they need it, not be held hostage by a reservation system that can be difficult to navigate even under the best circumstances. WSDOT must understand that not everyone on the ferry is a tourist, and those of us who choose to live here have, in large part, no alternative to the ferry system. When residents cannot get the medical care they need because of the reservation system, the problem becomes one of public health and safety, not just convenience.
WSF please read and understand what this is doing to the quality of life for island residents.
I am a widow alone in Friday Harbor. I travel to the mainland to see doctors or visit family in Seattle. I have two little dogs who travel with me. It is difficult for me to make reservations when I am on the road, I don't even know how to do it from my phone. I never know how long my appointments and visits will last so I have not been going to several appointments. It is not easy to be old with no one to help and to have to look out for dogs not knowing if and when we can get home. I came home a day early and got charged the cancellation fee. It is hard for older people.
My idea is to have a sticker that residents may put on their car that allows them access anytime without having to stop at the pay booth. The sticker charges their credit card automatically so there is no waiting in the toll booth line. They can have designated lines to go to or go through the lane assignment booth. The toll roads in Florida work great with this kind of system. Look up Sun Pass. Residents might be allowed one per resident or two per family. Residents could qualify by having to live on the islands for a minimum of six months. This idea would eliminate residents having to make a reservation or wait in lines.
I do not think this reservation would work there is a lot of workers who say "let's see If we can fit you" no we don't like it I love in lopez island
I do not think this reservation would work there is a lot of workers who say "let's see If we can fit you" no we don't like it I love in lopez island
I agree with making a much larger percentage of the boat capacity first come first serve. Having to reserve a ferry for Doctor appointments 2 or 3 months out is rather stressful. Reserving a ferry for needed shopping trips during peak travel times in summer season is very stressful.
residents of the islands have always known how to navigate the ferries to avoid the congestion to the extent possible. Online information for tourist about congestion could also help them plan their trips. If they still insist on Friday night to Sunday afternoon sailings, then they will be forewarned of the difficulties and wait times. The reservation system reduces any sort of spontaneity or joy in trips off island.
How about HALF of the ferry can be reserved in advance? Then at least people who live on the islands would have a chance of getting home in the event of an unplanned trip.
The reservation system appears to be designed to limit ridership so as not to have to provide additional service (add another ferry) during the peak traveling months. Island businesses are and will suffer, by the lack of business during the "ferry wait times", ie; restaurants and gift shops. These businesses make the bulk of their income during the summer months, and is spent on the island throughout the year. This system is clearly for the convenience of the DOT Bureaucrats with little regard for the state's citizens.