WHIDBEY ISLAND — Every weekday morning Brian Maddux catches the bus at 5 a.m. outside his home near Cultus Bay and rides it 7 miles to the Clinton ferry dock.
He hops the Washington State Ferry to Mukilteo, jumps in the car he parks overnight at Rosehill Community Center and drives nearly 30 miles to his computer programming job in Redmond.
His is a long commute and he has no interest in making it longer.
Mukilteo officials are trying to force overnight parking off the city’s waterfront, though, and the likely result would be a longer commute for Maddux — and the 300 daily commuters from Whidbey Island like him.
The city’s goal is to reclaim a waterfront that should never have become a commuter parking lot, Mayor Joe Marine said.
Part of the problem is the rejuvenated Lighthouse Park.
The park is so crowded on nights and weekends that cars end up illegally parking in grass medians and in front of the park’s boat launch. Police often ticket between 60 and 70 vehicles each weekend, Marine said.
Still, eliminating overnight parking is an overreaction, islanders say. It inconveniences commuters who have bought gas, groceries and more in Mukilteo for years.
Some islanders have started boycotting Mukilteo businesses in an attempt to force the city’s hand.
A meeting with Marine, Mukilteo City Council members and Whidbey Island commuters is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Clinton Community Hall, 6411 Central Ave., in Clinton.
Right now, commuters are mostly afraid about what could happen.
About 130 overnight stalls at Rosehill could be eliminated this summer if construction begins on Mukilteo’s long-planned community center. There are a few hundred other stalls at Lighthouse Park itself that could disappear soon to make way for more day-use parking.
The city’s responsibility is to its residents, and not to out-of-town commuters, Marine said.
“We have been accommodating to them for many, many, many years,” he said. “At some point the city has to move forward.”
The city needs to be careful how it moves, said Patty Maddux, Brian Maddux’s wife.
Driving onto a ferry is more than twice as expensive as walking on, she said. Plus, driving on is slower, because space for cars is limited.
Longer commutes will mean less time at home with families, and that might not be acceptable for young families, she said.
“There will be an exodus off the island,” Patty Maddux said. “It doesn’t just effect the commuters. It effects everybody.”
That’s true in Mukilteo, too, said Mukilteo Councilman Tony Tinsley.
Tinsley criticizes Marine for antagonizing commuters, but said overnight parking is a real issue. In addition to park-goers, local businesses are worried, he said.
Finding another place for the commuters to park overnight should be an important goal, Tinsley said.
Healthy dialogue is important, said Mike Klim, another commuter from Whidbey Island.
“Many of us are somewhat disappointed being dismissed as more of a pariah than as people who contribute positively to the economy in Mukilteo,” he said. “Many of us really love Mukilteo.”
Klim is already boycotting Mukilteo businesses, though, and is calling on other Whidbey Island residents to do the same thing. He is no longer eating at Ivar’s, Diamond Knot, Arnie’s or other restaurants near the ferry dock, he said.
That is not particularly helpful, even if some anger is understandable, Mukilteo council president Randy Lord said.
Commuters and the city need to work together to find a solution, he said.
“Mukilteo does not have the absolute requirement to provide parking. Nor should we completely ignore them. If we do, we’ll create a problem, and that problem will be in our back yard — or our front yard. It depends on how you look at it.”
Chris Fyall: 425-339-3447, cfyall@heraldnet.com.
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