Ferry Service
Dear Editor: Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has proposed huge reductions in its Alaska Marine Highway System proposed Summer, 2016 service. The Taku, Malaspina, and two fast ferries will be out of service the entire summer. Most SE mainline ports will still receive six sailings per week, with Lynn Canal getting five, but Sitka only two.
Sitka summer service, is being reduced to ONE northbound and ONE southbound sailing per week for the entire summer – even worse than Sitka’s 2015-16 Winter service (one north, two southbounds per week). Sitka has been getting great summer service with all the fast ferry stops, but with it laid up, only one north/one south stop is proposed for Sitka. This will nearly eliminate Sitkans and visitors from being able to schedule a trip with a vehicle. The car deck will always be full with only two sailings and vehicles from previous stops already filling it.
Standard excuse is the State must cut the budget and AMHS is one of the largest targets, which is true. But it is the DISPROPORTIONATE CUT IN SITKA SERVICE that needs to be emphasized. There are several ways Sitka service could be improved if AMHS considered Sitka’s 9,000 population grossly underserved in the schedule and wanted to help. Example – if the Matanuska were re-routed to Sitka north and south rather than going up Lynn Canal on Thursdays, it would leave Lynn Canal with four days per week service, and Sitka could have one more north and south sailing per week (four ships compared to the six or more serving most mainline ports). There are other ways to add a sailing or two to Sitka – It’s a matter of political will, and never has the cut to Sitka ferry service been greater or more inequitable..
It is unlikely that anything short of a community outcry will force AMHS to listen. EVERYONE who cares about Sitka getting one-third the ferry service other ports will get should comment, not only to the AMHS but copy the Governor. To see the packet with the details on proposed summer service and how to comment, you can go to www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/share/schedule/considerations.pdf (could this be any longer?). The Ferry Alaska website is also supposed to have this but I couldn’t find it. Comments are due by November 3 and can be emailed to dot.amhs.comments@alaska.gov or faxed to 907-228-6874. A teleconference on the SE schedule is also scheduled Nov. 4. Toll free number to participate is 1-800-315-6338 conference code 03902#
Marlene Campbell, Sitka
