Exceptions taken to ferry critique

Upon reading Brian Martin’s letter entitled “Reverse the con job by Coupeville,” dated Jan. 14, I was immediately struck by a few things I found a bit hard to accept. First, Mr. Martin opines that, “Whidbey Island would be the correct name for the destination to celebrate a new era in island transportation.” What, then, would he recommend when the Clinton-Mukilteo ferries are replaced, ushering in a “new era in island transportation?”

Second, Mr. Martin contended, “If you are a walk-on (ferry passenger) from Port Townsend, then Island Transit will take you to Coupeville, but it’s another hour and two minutes.”

Pardoning the pun, I must have missed the bus with regard to the above quote. It was rather difficult to believe that it would take an agency which does so well providing a quality service across the county more than an hour to deliver someone arriving at the Coupeville, Keystone, Port Townsend, Fort Casey, Admiralty Inlet, Whidbey Island et al ferry to Coupeville.

In the interest of obtaining the Paul Harvey “rest of the story,” I checked the Island Transit West Beach / Keystone route schedule posted quite clearly on the Island Transit website, and oddly enough, it seems to indicate that a trip from the ferry to the Coupeville Park and Ride on South Main takes 18 minutes, with a drop at Whidbey General costing an extra minute of time. So, unless someone misses multiple stops and therefore rides the entire route, I fail to see how it would take an hour and two minutes.

Perhaps the (it’s a dry) heat scrambled my brains.

Richard Johnston

Douglas, Ariz.

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