Reservations about reservations? | As I See It

Published 10:46 am Wednesday, September 17, 2014

By Greg Hertel

Special to the Journal

We seem to be moving inexorably towards a reservation system on San Juan Island, but I still have some questions that nag me.

I’ve raised these in the past with members of the committee studying the issue but every time I do, I keep getting told that it’s inevitable because the legislature gave the system its marching orders years ago and this is going to happen no matter what we want.

Still, these questions nag me, so let me lay them out one at a time.

• Why are we doing this? This won’t save money, in fact, the software management, infrastructure changes, and extra personnel needed to manage the system and the parking will cost more, not less. In this day of limited funds, why?

• From the traffic light above the ferry terminal in Anacortes to the ticket booth is one lane, how will the cars with reservations get to the ferry in time if they can’t go around? I was told that there is no money to address this issue.

• I will need a reservation both ways so if I go off-island on a Friday, how will I get back in the summer when 95 percent of the tickets have already been sold?

• If a ferry breaks down, what about the people with reservations who miss their sailing? Will they have priority on the next boat, bumping more people off, or will they simply lose them?

• How will I access the system without a smart phone or from one of the many cell dead areas on the island? (Good luck with that reservation change from Lakedale!)

• How will we keep the hospitality businesses from booking many slots in advance for their customers?

• This is supposed to be free but I don’t see it staying that way for long. The price will go up when the real costs become evident. We will quickly become a two-tier system for the haves, and for the have nots.

• How will the system accommodate a family with last minute playoffs, appointments, and illnesses?

The last question really gets at the heart of this issue for me.

I see the reservation system benefiting the tourist industry, the retiree, the professional who lives here part-time, but this benefit comes at the expense of the working families who live here and are the core of our community. They aren’t represented on the study committee. Much of their travel is spur of the moment.

“First come, first served” has always been the great leveler, the democratic way that is the tradition of our community. It hasn’t stopped the high number of visitors from coming this past summer, or any summer in memory. Our community will lose out when the reservation elite move to the head of the line next year.

Of course, that’s assuming that reservations work. I’ve lived here long enough to remember some other great ideas, like the computer-controlled ferries that would save money because they would require fewer personnel to operate. Then there was the “pre-sold ticket line” that was supposed to save money because it would require fewer personnel. And, don’t forget the wave-to-go turnstiles for walk-ons that would save money because it would require fewer personnel to man them.

I see a pattern here.

— Editor’s note: Retired high school science teacher and longtime San Juan resident Greg Hertel is a locally elected public official