EDMONDS
Visionaries here imagine a future where riding a ferry involves less guess work.
A reservation system, advocates believe, could help keep drivers from the frustration of hours-long, slow-moving ferry lines.
“Rather than wait in a physical queue on the road, you could know to show up at a specific time for a specific sailing,” said Joy Goldenberg, a spokeswoman for Washington State Ferries.
“You could choose to do something else with your free time,” she said.
The state has budgeted $3.8 million to develop a reservation system. Washington State Ferries are expected to deliver a report in time for the 2010 Legislative session.
One step towards a reservation system began on July 15 during the first meeting of the Edmonds-Kingston Partnership Group at Edmonds City Hall. The 17-member group will meet once a month through December.
The purpose of the first meeting was to provide group members with basic background information about how a vehicle registration system works and to comment about how a vehicle reservation system could work on the Edmonds-Kingston route.
“It’s important to us to know all of the problems you envision … what you need the reservation system to have so it will be successful,” David Moseley, assistant secretary of the state’s Department of Transportation Ferries Division, told group members.
The Edmonds-Kingston route is a likely pilot project test site. There are a wide variety of ferry users on the route — commercial trucks as well as commuter and recreational users, according to Goldenberg.
Ferry systems around the world have implemented reservation systems, and officials with Washington State Ferries have examined many of them, Goldenberg said.
Still, it is important to get feedback before deciding what would work best in Washington, she added.
“(Reservation systems) have worked every place,” Goldenberg said. “We’re trying to see if this is something that can work for WSF.”
Chris Fyall writes for the Herald of Everett. Enterprise editor Amy Daybert contributed to this report.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
