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Post by Political Incorrectness on Dec 2, 2006 12:30:58 GMT -8
Last night at Colman Dock, my sister was going to try and catch the 10:30 pm to Bremerton. However, there was a backup on Columbia Street. She ended up missing that boat. When she tried to get in line for the 10:55 p.m. to Bainbridge, she went down Yesler to try and get in and they had a police car blocking the way into the terminal and this is what WSF's action to two blocks of cars lined up on Alaskan Way. One tollbooth open. Usually, they have three to handle passengers and they are typically chatting with each other. She was so infuriated that she ended up driving around I-5 to get in here. WSF has had problems of not taking action. It was to the point my sister is recommending the worst thing of all "privatization". I have seen BCFS and it has not looked good. Fares go up, maintenance to crucial systems goes down, no government funding.
How should the customer service issue be addressed? With the most recent, "one complaint and put it on hold" issue with Port Townsend, is WSF PR going down the tubes?
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Post by Barnacle on Dec 2, 2006 15:18:20 GMT -8
Or is it possible that maybe, just maybe, you don't know the whole story?
I'm not sure how much I can say about this, as I'm not sure how much is public information, but trust me, those police were there for a reason.
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Dec 2, 2006 15:22:31 GMT -8
They were blocking the straight lane from yesler into the ferry terminal which is reserved for carpools only. I am not sure if there were other employees up at the pax booth but on a Friday night at 10pm, there were three the last time I went there.
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Post by Barnacle on Dec 2, 2006 15:39:40 GMT -8
I can assure you, the police weren't there for fun, or even to inconvenience your sister.
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Dec 2, 2006 15:49:15 GMT -8
Then why was there only one booth open? Barnacle, the point I am trying to make was that service to passenger vehicles was completely inadequate and that they should have had more people servicing the car tollbooths.
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Post by Barnacle on Dec 2, 2006 15:56:14 GMT -8
And the point I'm trying to make is if the police were there... oh, forget it. I should really know after my nine years with WSF that everyone knows how to run the system better than those actually doing it. All right, one more stab at it, and then I'm through: if ticket sales are being restricted or slowed down and there is a police car blocking one of the entrance/exits...
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Post by zman on Dec 2, 2006 19:18:57 GMT -8
On the high volume times, the police allow no cars (Bikes and Motorcycles can) to turn right from Alaskan Way, and they only allow the registered rideshare vehicles down Yesler. That way, people cannot cheat by jumping into the line at the tollbooths. I do have to admit that IT SUCKS to have to go all the way to the end of the line, BUT, it makes it fair for everybody.
That time of the night does not usually yield heavy traffic, but if traffic does start to back up, WSF cannot go call somebody to come down, because the traffic would be gone after that, therefore, they use the police to control how people get in to the terminal. It really sucks to miss the 10:30 to Bremerton, because the next one is at 12:50am.
It seems like it is one of of those things that is really tough to change because there are so many variables involved. I do agree that I get real mad when I have to go around, but I do look at the fact that the people who are there control the traffic are only using the resources provided to them.
I was on the 9:05 to Bremerton last night, and there was an incredible amount of traffic going to Bainbridge. I would be thrilled if WSF planned on having more staff working on a Friday, because they can be really messy...
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Post by hergfest on Dec 2, 2006 21:37:09 GMT -8
Why doesn't your sister just file a complain and see what they say?
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Dec 2, 2006 22:21:20 GMT -8
That is what she is going to do, I thought I'd get a second opinion on this, however, it has been rather a negative response from most except zman.
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Post by Barnacle on Dec 3, 2006 9:34:09 GMT -8
All right, let's see: as Zman says, the traffic for that evening was probably rather unexpected. Moreover, people tend to get conditioned to think that there is little to no traffic at that time of night and will attempt to time it so that they arrive a few minutes before departure since, unlike a lot of us, most people really don't enjoy hanging around and exploring a ferry terminal. (Up north, we tend to call them the "two-minute dashers" because they like to try to time it so they arrive in time to be the last one rolling on the ferry. When six of them show up at two minutes to departure, it makes for quite a show at the ticket booth.)
You never did say what time your sister arrived at Colman Dock, by the way. I would think if she truly needed to make the 10:30, she would've been attempting to get in line at, oh, 10 o'clock; and if the line-up was thus that she would've waited for more than a half-hour to get to the tollbooth, the crowds would have aced her off that sailing anyway.
Next: what I was referring to earlier and obliquely was that there was some police activity going on at the terminal, though upon reflection that may have been earlier in the evening. The authorities were looking for someone coming in on the Bremerton boat (who wasn't there, BTW) and in those sorts of situations WSF tends to keep the terminal lightly populated if at all possible and practical.
While I wholeheartedly agree that it sucks to miss a sailing to Bremerton near the end of the schedule, a lot of this conversation stems from the assumption that the ferry system exists for the benefit of one person only (which would be whomever feels wronged). WSF tries to provide the best service it can, but when everyone shows up with a few minutes to go and expects to be the first one off the boat, well, laws of physics apply.
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Dec 3, 2006 10:15:49 GMT -8
Barnacle, what I don't get is if you are trying to get in line for the 10:55 to Bainbridge as an alternative and you are there at 10:30, is there a problem here? If there was a Sonics game, would you not anticipate some more volume?
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Post by SS Shasta on Dec 3, 2006 11:40:01 GMT -8
Traffic around Colman Dock has been a problem for many, many years, but I don't think the problem centers on WSF. The dock was placed there before we had the concrete monster, sports stadiums, traffic lights, and dumb tourists, etc. in the area. It's true, however, that WSF is responsible for other conditions that result in high levels of frustration for the public.
If I am driving and want to go to the Bremerton area, I usually travel west on the Southworth run to avoid Colman Dock. I usually return to Seattle on the Bremerton ferry. As a walk on, I take the Bremerton ferry both ways. Colman Dock has always worked well for me as a foot passenger.
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Dec 3, 2006 13:17:39 GMT -8
Hopefully they will get the picture of getting the Wave2Go system implemented sooner versus later. That will get rid of a problem but WSF does take the brunt since there was six blocks of traffic waiting to get in to the terminal. One tollbooth was open. There was a Sonics game that night. WSF should be held liable for not providing adequate service at the time. After a game, you should anticipate higher volumes and have extra staff on hand.
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Post by old_wsf_fan on Dec 3, 2006 15:39:11 GMT -8
This scenario brings up a point that I made in another thread months ago. It has to do more with that area of Seattle being able to handle ferry traffic to begin with than the amount of personel operating the ticket booths.
How in the world are they going to handle the extra volume of traffic when the triangle route is split and the Southworth run is placed at Colman dock?
I have been in similar circumstances trying to get a ferry only to end up driving around. I was not happy about it at the time but I learned to always have extra time allowed for taking a ferry anywhere.
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Dec 3, 2006 19:36:03 GMT -8
Let me make this nice and simple. 6 BLOCKS OF TRAFFIC BACKED UP! 1 TOLLBOOTH OPEN! THIS IS NOT A SEATTLE PROBLEM IN TERMS OF GEOGRAPHY! THIS IS A STAFFING PROBLEM!
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Post by Barnacle on Dec 3, 2006 19:42:28 GMT -8
Oh, come on. We're talking about traffic after a Sonics game here. The only sporting event more lightly attended in Seattle is the Thunderbirds.
Oh, wait... the traffic's up to six blocks now? It was two in the first post.
Anyway, looking at this from the employer's standpoint, would you call in two extra attendants to handle 30 minutes worth of back up when you have to pay a full shift?
And before you start with the "split shift" concept, we fought long and hard to get rid of that because WSF would run a crew for four hours, send them home for four hours, and then put them back on another boat for four hours, taking twelve hours to get in eight hours' work. If you think it sounds like a good idea, try being the grunt instead of the manager.
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Dec 3, 2006 19:52:54 GMT -8
Well I did not know all the facts, here are a few changes
Six blocks total traffic. On Alaskan Way southbound, a police officer was there telling people they needed to turn around and take the northbound left hand turn which was backed up three blocks.
I will try and get all the facts but I hear another thing which ultimately leads to a huge problem. The state ferry system is not audited whatsoever. I find that to be completely disgusting, especially for a mass transit system.
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Post by Barnacle on Dec 3, 2006 20:07:17 GMT -8
That's not correct either. The ferry system is audited on a regular basis.
Getting something achieved with the results of the audit is another story of course...
Take, for instance, the Wave2Go system. That's a result of the audit. The idea is to take more money out of the hands of the ticket takers to reduce loss.
HOWEVER...
Suddenly everyone on the boat is either under 11 or over 65, because the system doesn't show if the ticket is supposed to be "child" or "senior" or "adult" fare.
Ooops.
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Dec 3, 2006 20:20:37 GMT -8
Then if it is audited, then where is a public record of it?
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Post by EGfleet on Dec 3, 2006 21:07:52 GMT -8
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Dec 3, 2006 21:11:12 GMT -8
Then here is my next question, is it audited by someone else? Or is it a self audit? If audited by someone else, who would it be? How often is it done?
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Post by Low Light Mike on Dec 3, 2006 21:15:11 GMT -8
May I suggest that Barnacle's and P-Incorr's lawyers meet together in a coffee-shop, and work these issues out.
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Post by EGfleet on Dec 3, 2006 21:29:53 GMT -8
Then here is my next question, is it audited by someone else? Or is it a self audit? If audited by someone else, who would it be? How often is it done? Yearly, and done by the state. Check the Times or PI, they have a story about it every year, mainly because of issues surrounding WSF's problems with accounting for tolls collected at the ticket booth. (Which is one of the reasons "Wave2Go" got implemented.)
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Dec 3, 2006 21:32:46 GMT -8
Fluge I am not threatening lawsuit, after all, I am a wannabe Canadian. You don't sue, you put in complaints However, since I find that we have people who work within the system, I wonder where is the issue here? Why can a mass transit system not provide sufficient service for those who use it? Should the DOT promote not using the ferry system and instead have people drive around all the time? It is not very economical when it comes to having to improve roads to meet people's demand on the road from not providing sufficient transit options. EDIT: Ok, audit problems were from the past but now they have been solved, however, the sufficient enough service issue is still valid until the Wave2Go system is implemented and can see an effect.
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Post by Barnacle on Dec 3, 2006 21:33:37 GMT -8
May I suggest that Barnacle's and P-Incorr's lawyers meet together in a coffee-shop, and work these issues out. Neutral territory? Tim Horton's in Portage la Prairie, MB? ;D
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