View non-flash version
Washington State Ferries With 22 million riders per year and nine marine routes, the largest ferry system in the United States could hardly afford not to be without steady funding, but that was the situation until recently. In 1999, voters repealed the motor vehicle excise tax that supported the ferry system. The sys- tem lost one-fi fth of operational funds and three-quarters of capital funds. Attempts to replace the money with infu- sions from highway funds, service cuts and fare raises were called a “Band Aid” approach. But now, a turnaround may have begun. David Moseley, just retired as head of the ferry system, says that, at long last, some new vessels are being built and paid for. “Our fl eet had become the oldest of any major ferry system in the world. The average age of BC Ferries’ vessels are 21 years old, Norway’s 28 and ours, in 2008 when I came, was 38 years old. So, we had old boats, had cut service and raised fares on our customers – no wonder they were mad at us!” The most recent state legislative session passed new fees sourced from car tabs and title transfers and expected to raise 22.5 million dollars a year. Since 2010, the state had managed to pay for two new ferries for lower-traffi c routes. The fi rst ferry, Tokitae, went into service in June of 2014. The second is under construction, and the third will be paid for with the new fees. State laws mandate that fer- ries are built by Washington State shipyards. Still, nine of 22 ferries are between 40 and 60 years old and will need replacement. Unfortunately, the new car tab fees do not generate enough revenue to meet the need. Conversion of existing ferries to liquid natural gas fuel is also on the horizon. After studying conversion of six ex- isting 1980s-era ferries, the ferry system has approved the concept. Hurdles remain. The Coast Guard must approve and once again, the legislature must fi nd the funding. Through it all, the storied Washington State Ferry System soldiers on, as before. Staten Island Ferries For a government-run agency serving 20 million people every year, Staten Island Ferries attracts unexpectedly posi- tive reviews. They run from “I love FREE!” to “Best view for Manhattan, The Statue of Liberty and Staten Island… The whole experience is just amazing because in an hour, we saw the great view twice and cost nothing!!” As proprietor of eight of the world’s most iconic ships, ferries that carry up to 5,200 passengers apiece, Staten Is- land Ferries, part of New York City’s Department of Trans- portation, would seem to have a bear a burden of high expectations. But Staten Island Ferries appears to under- take numerous imaginative projects and attract thousands of riders every day. It, too, is studying the conversion of ferries to liquid natural gas fuel. The agency has added art to terminals and upgraded ramps using federal stimulus money. The Spirit of America ferry, built in 2006, has a keel built of steel taken from the Twin Towers. In the past few years, the St. George Terminal on Staten Island has been revamped from a dingy, oversized waiting room into to a forward-looking, passenger-oriented mod- ern transportation hub. With the removal of a brick wall, the terminal provides a view through a forty-foot glass wall of the harbor and ferry dock. A new photovoltaic louver system saves one quarter of the energy needed to operate the facility. Passengers can look upward to observe the local plants on the new “green” roof. A new system collects rain- water run-off, which then irrigates the soil of the rooftop garden. The New York signature-orange ferries cruise past the Manhattan, Brooklyn and Newark skylines from terminals in lower Manhattan and on Staten Island. The ferry cross- ing showcases the Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty. As Alvar L. of Staten Island tells it online, “I love the fer- ry. It is the most reliable form of public transportation in NYC, is almost always on time, and best of all, it’s free.” NORTH AMERICAN FERRIES www.marinelink.com MN 43 32-49 MN Aug14.indd 43 7/18/2014 1:34:10 PM
