The Steamship Authority ferry service is the most important link in our Vineyard transportation system. Decisions made by the SSA regarding fares and service have direct impacts on the pocketbooks of Vineyarders and also affect businesses and land values. However, we have much less input into the development of the SSA’s projects and policies than we do for other transportation projects such as the repaving of the Vineyard Haven-Edgartown Road or the reconfiguration of the State Road-Old County Road intersection. Because of this, it is not surprising that the recent proposed fare hike has become such a contentious issue.

The SSA board holds monthly meetings, but these are of limited value for public input as the board only addresses recommendations that are already fully developed, and the meetings are not convenient to attend as they take place in Woods Hole, Hyannis, Nantucket and only a few times a year in Oak Bluffs. To have an effective role, Vineyarders need to be involved earlier in the development of SSA proposed actions.

The Vineyard’s voice on the Authority board, Marc Hanover, has done an excellent job in representing us. However, the members’ major role is to approve, or not, proposals that already have been developed by the SSA staff with minimal or no public participation. It is the principle responsibility of Wayne Lamson and his staff to be sure that they provide reliable service and maintain the Authority’s financial viability. They do this extremely well. They also do their best, with minimal outside input, to provide the board with thoughtful recommendation on such issues as the equitable distribution of the Authority’s costs among its users. However, they could provide the Authority members with more acceptable recommendations if there was a local process through which they could better incorporate the opinions and concerns of Vineyarders.

A process now exists throughout Massachusetts to review highway and transit projects from their initiation throughout their development. On Martha’s Vineyard there is a citizens’ advisory committee, the joint transportation committee (JTC), which provides advice to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority and the Martha’s Vineyard Commission on most Island transportation projects,. However, they do not review or provide advice on proposals related to the ferry service, the Vineyard’s most critical transportation link. The committee, which is composed of members from all Island towns, generally meets monthly. All meetings are posted and the public is encouraged to attend and offer comments.

The JTC can help the SSA staff when it is considering such matters as potential changes in the ferry schedules or fare increases by providing local viewpoints and concerns. With this input, objections to any such actions can be minimized when the recommended changes are presented to the Authority board. When fare increases are necessary, the recommendations as to the allocation of the increase among the user groups, (passengers, automobiles, trucks, Islanders, visitors, etc.) would be made with input from Islanders. It is also appropriate that Islanders, who are the users of the terminals, have some input as to the tradeoffs between the facility’s design and cost that will be reflected in future fares.

Only those issues that directly impact Vineyarders should be subject to JTC involvement. SSA staff decisions related to the operation of the vessels and the administration of the Authority should not be the concern of the JTC. All actions and recommendations of the JTC are advisory.

While the inclusion of the JTC in the process may initially place a slightly greater burden on the SSA staff, in the long run it may well avoid controversy and time-consuming revisions. The advantages of working with the JTC are the following:

• SSA staff will have direct input from Islanders before preparing recommendations to the board.

• The Vineyard board member will have an established organization with whom he can consult. The JTC can strengthen his role.

• The JTC meetings offer the public an opportunity to learn about and comment on proposals before they have been finalized.

• The SSA proposals, when they reach the board, should be less contentious.

• The JTC provides an existing committee of Vineyarders who are involved in the Island’s transportation projects. It seems logical to take advantage of this organization if we want to have more impact on decisions made by the SSA.

Dan Greenbaum
Chilmark

The writer is a member of the joint transportation committee.