Alki Community Council: More Water Taxi questions – and answers

By Karen Berge
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

The King County Water Taxi‘s West Seattle service was the heart of the agenda as an engaged group of 20-25 people gathered Thursday evening at Alki UCC for the Alki Community Council‘s monthly meeting.

The main speaker was Scott Davis, director of the Marine Division of the King County Department of Transportation was the main guest speaker. Michael Heavey attended on behalf of County Councilmember Jan Drago, who chairs the King County Ferry District Board.

Davis began with some personal background. (That, plus Q/A, and more ACC notes, after the jump)

Davis explained that he’s been in his current role a few months; his previous experience includes 28 years in the U.S. Coast Guard and 9 years with Washington State Ferries. He described the history of the Water Taxi and where things stand at present, much of which was detailed in his presentation at the recent Water Taxi Town Hall meeting (WSB coverage here).

Davis thoroughly explained the changes that took effect this year. The most visible changes include the new dock at Seacrest – accomplished during the off season – that is wider, ADA-compliant and more stable. He explained that they had discontinued a previous relationship with Argosy Cruises, since the county now runs the service. They are now running 2 catamaran vessels, one for the West Seattle run and one for Vashon, which allows them to swap boats if necessary and leverage other efficiencies. These boats are capable of going faster, so there is a future opportunity to explore crossing times. They will look at the trade-offs between speed and fuel efficiency; slower speeds also create less wake, less noise and vibration. They may consider faster speeds during the typical morning and evening commute. Also, with the county operating the service, crew members are now all professional mariners who are members of maritime unions. He mentioned that this was negotiated before he came to the position.

Davis also talked about the changes in fare policy, as well as the discontinuation of paper bus transfers and other fare media. This topic later drew several comments regarding the cumulative cost of a round-trip from West Seattle to downtown, especially for those who commute frequently, since the bus and Water Taxi fares are separate. (But someone later noted that to a tourist, a round trip in the Water Taxi for $7 would seem like an incredible deal.)

As noted at the earlier Town Hall meeting, the Water Taxi currently is only budgeted to run from April through October (similar to years past); he said that it won’t operate during the winter unless extra funding is found. They are “working on that, but it’s not an easy chore.”

He was asked for some numbers on passenger usage of the Water Taxi; the reply was “45-70 people on average”. Who is using? Are they primarily tourists? Who is the target? He answered that most passengers, “approximately 90%, using the Vashon Water Taxi are primarily commuters who use it Monday through Friday, a split-shift” during peak hours. For West Seattle, it is “almost the reverse of that” – most passengers on the West Seattle Water Taxi are “people going into the city to shop, one-timers.” He says that the West Seattle Water Taxi has a lot of discretionary use; “West Seattle is much more eclectic.”

The audience had the most questions and comments regarding fiscal issues and funding for the Water Taxi. One question is whether the Water Taxi is subsidized by King County. The answer to that is yes; he explained that “approximately 15% is recovered out of fare box, so 85% is subsidized.” Several in the audience seemed concerned and unhappy about this; he noted that other public transportation is also partially subsidized.

Someone questioned, “From a business perspective, what is it bringing in here? What economic incentive is that?” Davis answered that there is “clearly an interest in building a base of people who would use it.” Michael Heavey added that transit studies have shown that ridership goes up when frequency of the bus runs increases. He believes the same principle can be applied to the Water Taxi. Later, Heavey commented that another incentive for using the Water Taxi is to lessen the number of cars on the road.

There was thoughtful back-and-forth dialogue throughout Davis’ presentation. One person thanked him for “such a clear explanation” on one issue; he replied, “Thanks; I try.”

Looking ahead, Davis said the county is working on creating a maintenance facility, most likely a barge that can be floated alongside vessels. In 2010 they will be looking at defining parameters and plan to do some Requests for Proposals in 2011.

Other announcements at the Alki Community Council meeting:

ZONING: Tony Fragada reported to the group that the Southwest District Council is looking at city issues regarding height restrictions for low-rise buildings throughout West Seattle and the rest of the city. Goals to make the coding more uniform and create urban villages could result in a 5 to10 foot height change for these types of buildings, most of which are multi-family dwellings. He noted that this isn’t likely to impact the Alki neighborhood significantly, but:“Creep and growth and little changes can make an impact”, so it’s something for this group to keep an eye on. In discussion that followed, one attendee suggested inviting representatives from DPD and the City Council’s Regional Development & Sustainability Committee to speak and answer questions at a future meeting.

PUMP STATION TOUR: Lee Johnson mentioned she is arranging a tour of the newly expanded 53rd Street Pump Station for July 10th; e-mail lulusbeach@comcast.net to sign up.

ALKI STATUE OF LIBERTY PLAZA: David Hutchinson presented an update on the Statue of Liberty Plaza. Engraved bricks and plaques are still available to purchase. Discoloration problems involving the large plaque on the statue/pedestal’s south side, as well as the statue and lantern itself, have resulted in unanticipated repair and cleaning costs, he said.

BLUEGRASS SUGGESTION, ANYONE? Paul Carr announced that they are looking for “a great bluegrass band” to play at an event in September.

The Alki Community Council meets on the third Thursday of the month, 7 pm, Alki UCC – watch alkinews.com for updates.
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Photo credits: Water Taxi vessel shot by Patrick Sand, April 2010; Scott Davis photo by Karen Berge; plaque photos by David Hutchinson

3 Replies to "Alki Community Council: More Water Taxi questions - and answers"

  • Michael June 18, 2010 (10:50 am)

    I’m always amazed at the number of people who are amazed public transit doesn’t pay all of its costs at the fare box. That’s transit 101.
    .
    Of course, roads are 100% subsidized by tax dollars, unless they’re toll roads…

  • foy boy June 18, 2010 (3:10 pm)

    It is just another taxpayer carnavil ride. We need a park and ride in westseattle bad. It is nice to see we are getting a trader joes but come on just look at the traffic in the mornning on the bridge. If the taxpayer is going to pay for somthing at least let it make sense. Take the old hertz lot take down the building , pave it, paint some lines and wala, you have a park and ride.

  • Tom P. June 23, 2010 (3:19 pm)

    When I first started riding the Water Taxi the fare included any monthly bus pass. This cost me $18 a month and was a great incentive to not drive. My work soon started issuing a Flexpass which meant it cost me zero out of pocket to ride. It was great.

    However Metro of course discontinued Flexpass, and my work no longer purchases any form of transit passes due to the huge increase when they went to ORCA.

    So I am back to paying out of pocket. At the same time as the transition to ORCA, the Water Taxi no longer takes monthly bus passes.

    To summarize my monthly costs riding the Water Taxi as a daily commuter:
    pre- 2010: Max $18/ month
    2010: $140+ month

    Needless to say, I don’t take the Water Taxi any more. I’m not surprised to hear ridership is down 40%, and I’m not surprised some blame it on the weather.

    I wanted to be at this meeting but had a conflict. I am once again stuck in traffic on the bridge with the rest of you.

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