This is indefensible crap from a single Senator who has done some good work on transit in the past so I am genuinely confused here.
The Mosquito Fleet Act is a GOOD THING and the state Senate should have overruled him but won’t because he’s too powerful.
The Senate has now refused to recede their amendments.
Very disappointing to see @markoliias.bsky.social be in such staunch opposition to the growth of passenger only ferries. They have the potential to be an excellent boost with regards to local economies and transit networks.
Help the bipartisan Mosquito Fleet Act cross the finish line by signing this petition. c.org/C2z2jJmhz5
Waterman was built by All American Marine, I am uncertain who built the Admiral Pete, Carlisle II was built by O. I. Thorsen in Bellingham. Building Fast Ferries in WA is not an issue, but mandating it means passenger only ferries become wholly ineligible for federal grant opportunities.
Enetai, Commander were built by Nichols Brothers on Whidbey, Rich Passage 1, Lady Swift, and Reliance were built by All American Marine in Bellingham. Finest was purchased secondhand from NYC, refurbed by Nichols Bros, Solano was purchased from SF, also refurbed by Nichols Bros.
Prohibition of POF districts from receiving state funding of any sort, mandating zero emissions vessels sourced solely in Washington, and new POF districts prohibited from collecting sales tax. It severely impacts KT, and cripples the benefit of the bill overall.
Not sure what the hell is going on with the Mosquito Fleet Act and amendments to it right now but it sure feels like someone is trying to torpedo this bill...and maybe passenger-only ferries in Puget Sound in general.
Anyone following it who can talk me off the pier?
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With the capacity oriented layout on S700s, metro capacity w/ equiv. length trains is a marginal increase at best. The biggest constraint on Wed. was fleet size, not type. Second to that is the single-line svc, w/ hundreds of thousands trying to pack into 5 stations, overwhelming even large metros.
Four car Link trains are on-par with the majority of metro systems at ~400 feet. BART-style Great Societies metros with 700 foot long trains are the exception, not the rule.
I don't work for them, so I can only speculate, but when 4 minute revenue service is the standard, I believe they still would be able to add addt'l gap service. They certainly can SB from the stadium district, NB may be a bit more challenging (end of line pressure @ LCC), but should still be doable.
Metro systems are also typically not designed to cope with a rush of hundreds of thousands of passengers at once. Systems are not (and should not be) designed to support loads multiple times above what is typically seen, doing so would ensure projects are even more costly.
Your assertion of a lack of contingency planning. Agency staff cannot make trains they don't have appear out of thin air, especially given the split fleet between OMF Central and OMF East. They did a remarkably good job keeping people and trains moving despite extremely abnormally high pax loads.
ST bumped headways as high as they were able to do with the combined constraints of a limited fleet, and street-running frequency limitations. This concern will be partially addressed when the full 2-Line opens, and service can be increased without excess pressure on Rainier Valley.
This is patently false. ST brought over extra trains to bump svc to 6-minutes all day, maximizing their fleet as well as altering schedules to provide service that is as reliable as possible given significant overload conditions, as well as working w/ partners to provide addt'l supplemental service.
current traffic in Seattle highways is light, 1.5hrs till parade
abundance of drive-up space on state ferries for cars
Genuinely jaw dropping non-car usage today. Parking lots downtown have lots of space, as do car ferries, and highways.
Meanwhile, public transit is consistently 105% full.
Good job, Seattle 😁😁😁
Will there be any service changes for the parade on Wednesday, potentially 2-boat service on Bremerton for that day? Or other reshuffles? Thank you!
Say hello to a truly connected region on March 28! The Crosslake Connection is opening two new stations and a world of new possibilities for the Eastside, Seattle and beyond. 🚊✨
Explore this highly anticipated new connection and get ready to ride! 🎉
www.soundtransit.org/crosslake
Hacked off? So are we. Join @seattletru.bsky.social, @csgreenways.bsky.social, @fixthel8.bsky.social, @seattlesubway.org, and more to tell the city to keep our bus lanes where they are. Even the little ones.
actionnetwork.org/letters/seat...
(Photo used with permission.)
I completely forgot to post the petition. Go sign this everyone!!!!
actionnetwork.org/letters/stop...
cmon man, Astros fans can’t read
Of course!! We are super glad you were able to show up and enjoy the show with us.
That I agree with, the restricted landing slots absolutely make it more challenging. Especially seeing as Bremerton has less schedule padding. KT’s public meetings about their terminal plans were very promising.
While it’s true that Pier 50 is too crowded, the delays were because the orcas were present near Bremerton terminal, which requires all ships to cut engines and avoid the area/delay departures.
It's not necessarily because of using light vs heavy rail, its because the tracks in the downtown tunnel are the type designed to be embedded in concrete (which they are), which makes repairs much more challenging and the tracks less durable.
My understanding is that its a mix of cost pressures, & the LRV fleet not going as far as they expected. Since they opened Lynnwood (& even before), they were using more gap trains than they expected to need to use to keep 8min svc which makes it hard to do 6 minute svc while still doing maintenance
Thank you! I think it would be super cute! (And would love to participate)
@ferries.wsdot.wa.gov Have you guys ever thought about allowing Little Free Libraries on some WSF vessels? Especially the Central Sound routes! It would be super cute to have some space for people to freely exchange books and artwork and stuff :)
my new strategy of “everyone who disagrees with me is stupid and unambitious” is sure to draw support for my cause
