April 15, 2025 City Council meeting
Comment by Richard Bangert
Re: Agenda Item 5-K Security Services at Ferry Terminal Parking lots
Dear Mayor and members of the City Council,
This agenda item brings to the forefront the need to address the enforcement of parking restrictions at the Seaplane Ferry Terminal parking lot. Currently, ferry riders are regularly parking in the 17 spaces reserved for shoreline access, which are meant for visitors to enjoy the shoreline throughout the day. These restricted spaces were a condition of the BCDC permit for the facility.
The staff report points out that a part time parking enforcement technician has been hired “To assist in the management of paid parking and to mitigate potential impacts to surrounding neighborhoods. ” Duties should also include dissuading ferry riders from parking in the spaces reserved for shoreline access.
If there is no enforcement of the shoreline parking restriction with the commencement of paid parking on July 1, 2025, ferry riders will continue to be able to park there, and for free.
Here are three suggestions on how to ensure that the parking spaces reserved for non-ferry riders for shoreline access are not filled by ferry riders:
• Consider placing signs in front of each of the 17 shoreline access spaces highlighting NO FERRY PARKING at the top, rather than only having signs at each end with an arrow, in the same style as the ADA spaces.
• Stipulate that there is a 4-hour limit Monday through Friday. This will deter ferry riders from parking in the spaces reserved for shoreline access. • Stencil the surface of each parking space “shoreline visitors only.”
Note that the restricted access to the ADA spaces, identified by signs and surface stenciling at each space, is apparently clear to everyone and respected. On April 10 at 9:30 am, for example, only one of the nine ADA spaces was occupied, even though these spaces are closer to the ferry gate than the shoreline access spaces that were all filled by ferry riders.
To emphasize my concern, here is some data gathered by me on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week:
• Tuesday, April 8 – At 8:25 am after the 8:20 ferry departure, all 17 shoreline access spaces were filled.
• Wednesday, April 9 – At 8:25 am after the 8:20 ferry departure, all 17 shoreline access spaces were filled. Meanwhile, at the same time, there were 92 unoccupied parking spaces elsewhere on the lot.
• Thursday, April 10 – At 8:25 am after the 8:20 ferry departure, 16 of the 17 shoreline access spaces were filled, while 133 spaces elsewhere on the lot were unoccupied.
By 9:35, all shoreline access spaces were filled, with close to 100 spaces still available elsewhere on the lot.
It was clear from observing the motorists parking in the shoreline access spaces that they were boarding the ferry. On none of these days were there 17 people walking around the Seaplane Lagoon at 8:30 in the morning. At best, five people could usually be observed on a leisurely walk, and some were walking dogs and left the area on foot.
Best,
Richard Bangert