PORT TOWNSEND – The state Transportation Commission on Thursday rejected an unpopular $10 and $20 fee proposal for a Port Townsend-Keystone ferry reservation pilot program.
“The commission’s feeling was that, as it stood, it just did not tie together,” state Transportation Commission member Bob Distler said after the commission voted with six votes in favor and the commission’s vice chair, Elmira Forner, abstaining.
The system, as proposed, would require those waiting with reservations in Port Townsend or Keystone on Whidbey Island to pay $10 for vehicles measuring 20 feet or less and $20 for vehicles of more than 20 feet, plus the normal fare.
Distler expressed support for the pilot program, and while he disagreed with the fees proposed, he did not oppose fees altogether.
“There should be some fee for a reservation system,” said Distler, of Orcas Island.
“If there is not a nonrefundable fee, the no-shows go up dramatically.”
Port Townsend officials, such as Deputy Mayor Michelle Sandoval, support the ferry reservation system because it would allow people to visit downtown shops or restaurants, or even take shuttle buses to Fort Worden State Park, knowing they have spots on the ferry.
