09/08/2008: "Line Jumping On Rise In Anacortes"

Two recent incidents of line jumping at the Anacortes ferry terminal will be investigated by the Ferry Advisory Committee.

The two separate incidents happened in August when cars left one line and quickly drove over to join a loading line. In the past this sort of behavior was, while rare, quickly responded to by ferry workers, but that seems to have changed.

Yvonne Swanberg of San Juan Island told the Island Guardian that she was "in the overload line at the Anacortes Terminal awaiting the 5 p.m. ferry to Friday Harbor. I was #12 in overload and was put in Lane 11 with Lane 12 being vehicles with priority over Lane 11 which was the overload lane with vehicles appropriately marked. As vehicles were loading from Lane 11, a double cab red pickup which would have been about #18 in overload in Lane 11 behind me pulled out and joined into Lane 12 loading sequence."

Mike Close, also of San Juan Island had a similar experience a a few weeks later, and in both cases the ferry workers did nothing to stop the drivers or have the vehicles removed, or have the drivers cited.

Swanberg said " I jumped out of my vehicle and ran down the lane yelling “stop her, stop her, she jumped the line, she jumped the line”. She was allowed to continue on down and board the ferry. The lot attendant called down; was obviously dismissed and went over to load Lane 4 (the usual waiting lane for Friday Harbor). I approached him again as he was beginning to load Lane 4, and I was told nothing was being done."

Mr. Close also had jumped out of his car and reported the incident, but he also had the same reaction from the ferry workers as Swanberg: nothing was done about it.

As for Swanberg, she said "the person in the red pickup should have been removed from the ferry, fined and left at the end of the line 'licking her wounds'”.

A few weeks ago Swanberg sent an email to the County Council complaining about the incident, but to date there has been no action taken by either the Council or the FAC to follow up, however at the FAC meeting on Monday (9-8-08) after the Island Guardian brought up the subject, they said they would follow up on it.