Coming now to “ferry” me home

File this under “what just happened?” the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the California legislature has just passed a bill to dissolve the current Bay Area Water Transit Authority and consolidate exisiting (yes, this includes Alameda’s ferry services) and future ferry services under a new umbrella organization the Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (BAWETA), geez you think if they were going to change the name they could at least make it spell something interesting.    However folks, unlike the Master Transportation Plan in Alameda, this goes beyond a mere name change and something pretty much staying the same, this new bill before the Governator to sign would transfer control over operations, etc… of municipal ferry systems like Alameda’s and Vallejo’s to the new BAWETA.  Highlights from the Chronicle:

The legislation, which passed this week, calls for consolidating existing and future ferry operations on the San Francisco Bay under one agency, except for the ferries operated by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.

The agency would have broad powers in planning, financing and operating a regional ferry system.

Backers of the bill, which is now before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, say such coordination is needed because of the essential role ferries will have after a large earthquake or other disaster.

“The major threat to the Bay Area’s economy is not the next dot-com bust but a natural catastrophe,” said Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council, a business-backed organization that has long pushed for an expanded ferry network.

The group says ferries will be needed to move people and goods should the roadways, bridges and BART tube be inoperable. Wunderman said it is important to have one agency coordinate ferry operations and to make sure the needed infrastructure is in place.

…

The new body would have the ability to take possession by 2009 of the ferries, terminals and parking facilities used for the Vallejo and Alameda operations. It would also have the authority to set fares and schedules and adopt budgets. It would have access to state funding that’s not available to the current water-transit body.

…

The new authority would receive $250 million in state bond money. The proposed five-member governing board would be appointed by the governor and Legislative leaders.

Officials of Vallejo and Alameda said they knew little about the final proposal until shortly before it passed the Legislature. The bill was approved by the Assembly on Monday and the Senate on Tuesday.

“We were not consulted,” said Vallejo City Manager Joe Tanner.

He said his city has almost $130 million tied up in its ferry operation – including ownership of the ferries, terminal and parking lot – and has no intention of walking away without compensation. He also wants to make sure that service, which gives 900,000 trips a year, either stays the same or improves under the new configuration.

Lisa Goldman, Alameda’s deputy city manager, said her city also has concerns.

“I suspect there will be a tremendous amount of negotiations still to come,” Tanner said…

To the statement made by Vallejo’s City Manager, I say, “damn skippy.”  What is $250 million in state bond money when individually the two municipal ferry districts probably have that much and perhaps more invested in their ferry systems?   And what is the point of a consolidated ferry system if perhaps the largest and busiest ferry service – the Golden Gate one — isn’t a part of the BAWETA?   While more ferry service = good; new lines and routes shouldn’t be added at the expense of current ones.   So if this bill does get signed and come 2009 the city of Alameda is no longer in the ferry business, our City Managers should be echoing the same statement made by Vallejo’s City Manager: compensation for our investment and equal or better service.