Citing the adverse impacts to commuters and the working families of the San Juan Islands, Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-San Juan Islands, recently met with several members of Congress in Washington D.C. and followed-up with letters urging them to reconsider a Coast Guard directive that changes the way Washington State Ferries has operated the San Juan Route for years.
"I fear this new directive, though well intentioned, will unleash many negative impacts on the quality of ferry service not only to the passengers of the San Juan route, but ferry routes all across Puget Sound," Ranker said.
Washington State Ferries redesigned the fall sailing schedule to accommodate the Coast Guard directive, which prohibits touring watches. Touring watches, where crews work two shifts with an on-board rest in between, have been an integral part of ferry service for the San Juan Islands. Shifting to a schedule without touring watches is intended to decrease crew stress and fatigue, but carries with it other costs.
By not using touring watches, which allows for more boats more often on the San Juan route, the new schedule must accommodate ferries no longer being moored in Friday Harbor overnight, which will decrease the availability of ferries. The diminished capacity will greater affect Eastbound traffic, impacting those who commute to jobs on the mainland.
"I'm hoping we can work together with the Coast Guard, WSF, and our congressional delegation to ensure crew and passenger safety, as well as providing the service levels to sustain the needs of our ferry-dependent communities," Ranker said.
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