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TRANSIT CONTINUED FROM A1 She said it saves her from driving her family’s gas guzzler. The route over Deception Pass is part of a “tri-county connector” service, providing bus links between Island, Skagit and Whatcom counties; it’s become an important economic, as well as social, link between the three counties, according to Martha Rose, director of Island Transit. The route, however, is in danger because of continued cuts in public transportation by state lawmakers; the state funding for the tri-county connector ends in July 2015 and lawmakers have told Rose that it’s not likely the money will be replenished. The Everett connector, the popular route between Camano and Everett, ends this month because of a lack of state support. It’s an issue making headlines regionally, especially with cuts likely for King County Metro. “The state used to be the envy of the rest of the United States when it came to support of public transit,” Rose said. “Now it’s just 2 percent, which I think is shameful.” The average state investment in transit in the nation is 23 percent of transit services, she said; the rest is mostly funded on the local level. Island Transit had received about $3 million from the state to run the tri-county connector for two years, but the funding comes to an end June 30 of next year. To prepare for the future, Rose said,
TSUNAMI CONTINUED FROM A1 samples from the land, marshes and beaches. A 2004 study of the eastern strait of Juan de Fuca found extensive tsunami flooding in some areas as a result of a fault shift in the open ocean, according to Ward Beebe, a Brandman University geology professor. In the Pacific Northwest, an open-ocean tsunami will most likely be linked to the Cascadia Subduction Zone, an area the length of Washington and Oregon, where the Juan de Fuca plate is pushing underneath the North
Island Transit is implementing changes to routes proactively. The Route 411W bus will no longer run from Oak Harbor to Mount Vernon, where riders can connect to a Bellingham-bound bus. As of June 30, the bus will stop at March Point in Anacortes and riders can transfer to a Skagit Transit bus, which will cost $1 per trip. Island Transit offers fare-free service. Four Route 4 buses will be eliminated, since the Route 411W bus will cover the same territory. “It didn’t make sense to have one bus chasing another,” she said. Rose, who spearheaded the creation of the regional routes, said the tri-county connected has been more successful than she dared to hope. Initially, the transit officials thought the bulk of the ridership would be between Skagit and Whatcom, particularly the Interstate-5 corridor. “To our complete delight, the research showed that Island Transit’s ridership was double the ridership combined with Skagit and Whatcom,” she said, “and our costs per rider and per mile were less, and yet our vehicle miles traveled more than double.” In 2012, 147,000 Island Transit riders used the tri-county connector and 45,500 riders used the Everett connector, according to information provided by Island Transit. The long-term future of the route, however, is uncertain. Rose said she’s received many “heartbreaking” pleas from Camano residents about the loss of the Everett connector. A
American plate 100 miles off the west coast. The 2004 study showed that at some point in its geological history, a tsunami occurred and left the eastern strait deposits. In addition, other researchers have found tsunami deposits in Swantown Marsh, Beebe said. However, there is still a lot to be discovered about the tsunami history within the Sound. “There’s still a lot we don’t know about the geology of this area,” Beebe said. While research has been done on the effects the Cascadia Subduction Zone could have on Western Washington, very little has been done specific to Whidbey
Saturday, June 21, 2014 • Whidbey News-Times
Photo by Jessie Stensland/Whidbey News-Times
Anacortes resident Marty Corey rides an Island Transit bus Friday morning. He relies on the transportation to get to his job in Coupeville, but the route could be threatened in the future. disabled man, for example, can’t keep his job in Everett and has to move in with his parents. Rose said she’s in belt-tightening mode. The agency pared a few low-ridership routes and isn’t filling a few positions. The irony of the cuts for Island Transit is that the agency recently opened its new facility near Coupeville, which was largely funded by a $17-million federal grant, which could only be used for capital projects. Under state law, Island Transit is maxed out at 9/10th of 1 percent sales tax funding,
Island until recently, according to Rich. “There’s some good things to come out of this,” Rich said. “No one’s done any work here.” Data from a geological symposium held on Whidbey last year shows that the island has four fault systems running through it. The Dar rington-Devil’s Mountain fault runs through the north tip of Whidbey; the Strawberry Point Fault runs across the thickest part of North Whidbey and branches out through Strawberry Point; the Utsalady Point Fault runs southwest through Oak Harbor to the tip of Camano Island; and the South Whidbey Fault system com-
which was approved by voters. “Transit agencies all over the state are seeing rising costs and diminishing support,” said Island County Commissioner Helen Price Johnson, who is on the agency’s board of directors. Price Johnson and Rose say the solutions lie with the state legislature. “I’m getting proactive on this,” Rose said. “I’m not being quiet and meek on this anymore. “We need dedicated state funding for transit.”
prises three parallel faults running southwest through the width of the south end. Rich said that these smaller fault systems can be triggered by larger earthquakes or shift all on their own. The effect can go completely unnoticed, as is common, or could potentially cause landslides or tsunamis between the islands. “There’s a potential of tsunamis from faults within the Sound,” agreed Beebe. “But we’re not likely going to get the same effect. I would think they would be much smaller.” The data collected in July should start to help researchers form a picture of Whidbey’s tsunami risk and how to manage it, Rich said.
Soil, sand and peat samples will be taken to an Accelerator Mass Spectrometry lab in Bothell for Carbon dating. In addition to the academic researchers involved, Island County DEM will be partnering with the Coupeville Lion’s Club, Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, the City of Oak Harbor, the Whidbey Camano Land Trust, Candlewood Suites, and Boy Scout Troops 57 and 58. However, Rich said, the group is still seeking additional funding and manpower to complete the research project. Those interested in participating can contact Rich at jim.rich1940@ gmail.com
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