The current government of Washington State has failed to maintain the methods of transportation needed by our citizens to work and live in freedom. While the most recent legislature has increased spending for maintaining roads, it is not even enough to keep up with the current rate of deterioration.

Our ferry system has become completely unreliable with random cancellations making it so that some mainland medical personnel will not even make appointments for people who live on the islands. We need to increase focus on reliable transportation.

–In 2012 there were 85.5 million daily vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on state highways.4 By 2023 that had increased to 96.3 million.

–In 2020, there were 164 bridges managed by WSDOT in “poor” condition.8 By 2024, that number had increased to 229. 

–State records show 438 traffic fatalities in 2012, rising to 810 fatalities in 2023, an increase of 85%. This rise in traffic deaths is over five times higher than the state’s 15% increase in population over the same period.

–The percentage of fatal accidents that involved an impaired driver increased from 46% in 2014 to 51% in 2023.

–Total annual service hours for Washington State Ferries (WSF) declined from 126,980 in 2012 to 105,456 in 2023, a 17% cut.

–The number of WSF passenger trips declined from 22 million in 2012 to just 17 million in 2023, a decline of about 23%.

–Meanwhile, WSF’s cost-per-service-hour rose from $1,810 in 2012 to $2,679 in 2023, an increase of 11%

–The number of boats in service declined. In 2012 WSF had 19 boats in service. In 2023 it had only 17.

We can do better!

Link:  The State of Washington’s Transportation System