Two Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferry-route notes tonight.

3-BOAT SERVICE TO RETURN WEDNESDAY: Washington State Ferries is putting the new ferry Chimacum into service early to help alleviate the current boat shortage. It’ll go onto the Seattle-Bremerton run so that Sealth can become the third boat on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run. This is scheduled to happen first thing tomorrow morning.

TRIANGLE ROUTE IMPROVEMENTS: WSF’s Hadley Rodero shares an update on last week’s four-day test of tollbooth changes as part of the Triangle Task Force project:

We completed the pilot from May 15-18 as planned. After direct observation and a preliminary review of the data, we are cautiously optimistic.

On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, we saw smoother operations and what we believe to be more efficient use of the dock under your recommended procedures (more to come once we look at the numbers). Last Wednesday was tough for customers and staff alike, with long wait times and space left on boats. We think this was due to several factors. We didn’t communicate as well within the pilot team or use the dock as efficiently as other days. There was an unexpected mix of traffic (lots of Vashon at an unusual time). Customers are still learning the process (had to back a lot of people up because they tried to pull past the tollbooth). We also had the typical disruptions such as a car parked in the ferry line after “no parking” time, and a large truck blocking two holding lanes with a poor parking job.

Overall, customer feedback was mixed. Some people said they liked it, others disliked it, and there were a lot of people wishing for the by-pass.

Next steps: We’re reviewing the data and collecting another round of baseline data when things are back to “the old way” this week. We aim to have an official conclusion and next steps within a week.

The community task force on the Triangle project also has set its next meeting dates – open to the public, so if you’re interested:

June: Tuesday, June 6, 4:30 – 7:00 p.m.

July: Wednesday, July 12, 4 – 7 p.m. (terminal site visit and walk-through)

August: Thursday, August 10, 4:30 – 7:00 p.m.

September: Thursday, September 14, 4:30 – 7:00 p.m.

All except July 12th will be at the Fauntleroy Church Fellowship Hall (9140 California SW).