WTA axes Blue Heron van service

By Pamala Sheppard

Despite community outcry, Point Roberts Blue Heron van is no more. The final hearing before the Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) board of directors in Bellingham on November 15 ended in a 4-3 vote to eliminate the community van program for not only Point Roberts but also Lummi Island and Whatcom Residential Treatment Center.

Board members Barbara Ryan, Pete Kremen and Seth Greenwood voted in support of keeping the community use van program. Barbara Ryan expressed the need to support our volunteer community services and innovative carpool programs. Pete Kremen pointed out that increasing the Safety Net bus was a “cost negative” and that residents of Point Roberts do not have services that compare to the mainland.

Opposed to the van program, Don Gischer suggested only keeping the Whatcom Residential Treatment van in place, since it seemed like the most successful of the three. Other members felt it would be preferential treatment to keep one and eliminate the other two van programs.

Directors Jack Louws, Don Gischer, Mike Myers and Mel Hansen all voted to terminate the van program and support the WTA decision to increase Safety Net bus service to Point Roberts to once a week, and give old surplus vans to the three groups.

Louws stated that he felt that the $20,000 a year spent on this program would be better used somewhere else.

The three major obstacles to the community van program outlined by the WTA were the American Disabilities Act (ADA) rules, insurance requirements and the transporting of students.

The ADA requires transportation be provided to disabled people and the Point Roberts van was not equipped. The WTA determined the only answer would be that they would have to send a cab if they got any requests and that it would cost $130 per trip. Point Roberts has never had a request to date.

Insurance would need to be provided from the community since Washington Transit Insurance wouldn’t cover some of the general liability issues.

Washington state determined that students could not be transported to and from school in a van larger than 10 seats. Lummi Island’s van was a 12-seat van and used heavily for that purpose. Point Roberts van was small enough but when it went for maintenance, a larger van may be substituted and therefore be in violation.

Several citizens from Point Roberts attended the 8 a.m. meeting in the courthouse in Bellingham and gave passionate testimony to retain the van service. One Point Roberts woman pleaded, “I really need this van. We have no drug store, no doctors. I have no way to get to Bellingham.”

The group used the van to attend the hearing.