Transit says the mood is positive, while opponents dispute benefits.
In a room of rump-less leather chairs at the Madison Avenue fire hall on Thursday afternoon, Kitsap Transit’s John Clauson sat poised near a slide projector.
He knew the drill. Present and defend, then on to the next stop.
Clauson has been traveling the county in recent weeks, playing to rooms of varying sizes and dispositions as part of KT’s effort to garner voter support for a three-tenths of a cent sales tax increase that would subsidize foot ferry service between Kitsap County and Seattle.
There would be one more Bainbridge meeting later in the evening.
But whatever the reason, no one showed up for this one.
“The response has been mostly positive,” Clauson said, from the plushness of his own chair. “This is the first time we’ve been skunked.”
For opponents of the plan, the prospect of empty chairs – not in fire halls or conference rooms, but on foot ferries plying Puget Sound – is just one of many causes for concern.
“This is the wrong plan at the wrong time for the wrong reasons,” said islander Bill Cairns, who is leading the opposition to Proposition 1, to be decided in the Feb. 6 all-mail election. “There are so many unanswered questions.”
The passage of Prop. 1 would generate about $10 million a year in tax revenue. Kitsap Transit would fund 40 percent of the new service, which would be operated by a private company. Federal and state money, along with farebox revenue, would fund the remaining operating and capital costs.
Ferries would run eight times each weekday between Kingston, Port Orchard, Bremerton, Southworth and downtown Seattle. Service would begin in stages, starting in Bremerton within two to three months. Kingston service would start in October, with service in Port Orchard and Southworth at least two years away.
KT has about $13 million worth of docks already in place, with plans to upgrade or build new facilities where needed if Prop. 1 passes.
A similar measure in 2003 failed at the polls. Recent attempts by private foot ferry services struggled to compete with Washington State Ferries’ regular eastbound service, which is free. The state abandoned its own plans for foot ferry service last year.
“Earlier efforts failed for a number of reasons,” Clauson said, “one being the level of subsidy.”
As part of the KT plan, fares would cost $8.50 to $9 per round trip, about $2 more than WSF.
But Clauson said shorter driving distances to terminals and shorter trips across the water aboard, smaller faster vessels, should make the extra cost worth paying for some.
Two different sized vessels would carry 149 or 80 passengers depending on the time of day and route. Both are designed to have smaller wakes than standard boats and cut trip times significantly.
For the plan to be successful, boats would need to be filled to capacity during peak runs. Mid-day sailings would need to be half full.
Should the plan fail, Clauson said boats would be sold off to help pay the debt.
“If it it failed on day one,” he said, “it would take two years for the tax to die.”
The environmental impacts of foot ferries also have been hotly debated. Kitsap Transit believes the plan would save 102,000 gallons of fuel per year.
“That’s absurd,” said islander John Grinter, who like Cairns opposes the measure. “Rolling vehicles, as bad as they can be, are much more efficient than boats. There’s still going to be a net increase in fuel consumption.”
On Bainbridge Island, which wouldn’t receive service, supporters have argued that increased service elsewhere in the county would alleviate ferry traffic along state Route 305.
That group includes the Bainbridge City Council, which last week joined Bremerton and Port Orchard councils and County Commissioners in endorsing the measure.
Clauson said KT will still focus on improving transit options by offering better bus service and more park and rides, though money from the sales tax hike could only be used to fund foot ferries.
“Our number one preferred method for commuting is biking and walking,” Clauson said. “If that isn’t an option, we want to pick you up. As far as the environment, it’s not just about fuel economy. How long are cars backed up in traffic waiting to get off the island?”
Some, like Cairns, have questioned KT’s claims about traffic impacts.
“You can’t have it both ways,” he said. “Wherever you increase growth, you increase traffic. Where are all the studies to support what they’re saying?”
Clauson said Kitsap Transit based its traffic projections on those done eight or nine years ago by WSF.
He didn’t argue about foot ferries leading to growth. In fact, he leads his presentation with information about how improved access will boost Kitsap County’s economy.
“This is our light rail,” Clauson said, referring to efforts across Puget Sound to improve public transportation. “Only the right of way is free and we don’t have to nail down tracks.”
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Vote!
Ballots must be postmarked no later than Tuesday in the all-mail special election. On the ballot is Kitsap Transit’s three-tenths of one cent sales tax hike for foot ferry service linking Kitsap County with downtown Seattle, and the Bainbridge Island School District’s three-year, $23.1 million operations levy.
Out of stamps? A ballot drop-box will be available Tuesday at Bainbridge Peforming Arts. Contact the county elections office at 842-2061 for more information.
