Washington Administrative Code › Title 468 - Transportation, Department of (See Title 88) › Chapter 468-300 - State ferries and toll bridges › Section 468-300-700 - Preferential loading

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
In order to protect public health, safety and commerce; to
				encourage more efficient use of the ferry system; and to reduce dependency on
				single occupant private automobiles:
(1) Preferential loading privileges on
			 vessels operated by Washington state ferries (WSF), exempting vehicles from the
			 standard first-come first-served rule, shall be granted in the order set forth
			 below:
(a) An emergency medical vehicle,
			 medical unit, aid unit, or ambulance dispatched to and returning from an
			 emergency or nonemergency call while in service. Up to one additional vehicle
			 may accompany a qualifying emergency medical vehicle or authorized med-evac
			 when going to, but not when returning from, an emergency.
(b) A public police or fire vehicle only when
			 responding to an emergency call, but not when returning from either an
			 emergency or a nonemergency call. However, these vehicles will receive priority
			 loading when they are returning from either an emergency or nonemergency call
			 to Vashon Island or the San Juan Islands.
(c) A public utility or public utility
			 support vehicle only when responding to an emergency call, but not when
			 returning from either an emergency or a nonemergency call.
(d) Preferential loading may be granted for
			 vehicles carrying passengers needing to accompany a family member who is being
			 transported by an emergency vehicle, which requires the customer's timely
			 access to the vessel's destination.
(e) Specific to routes without reservations
			 where a vehicle occupant states that an extended wait would cause detrimental
			 health risks to a vehicle occupant, that vehicle will be allowed preferential
			 loading whenever the afflicted occupant has provided a medical form certified
			 by a physician that such preferential loading is required.
However, when that vehicle occupant has not submitted the
				proper medical form, preferential loading will be permissible based upon
				appropriate terminal staff determination.
(f) Specific to routes with reservations,
			 where a vehicle occupant provides a medical form certified by a physician that
			 the occupant is returning from a medical appointment or has been discharged
			 from the hospital and that an extended wait would cause detrimental health
			 risks, that vehicle will be allowed preferential loading.
(g) Specific to routes with reservations
			 (defined in subsections (4) through (10) of this section), a vehicle with a
			 reservation, presenting proof of that reservation.
(h) Specific to routes with reservations
			 where reservations are available to all vehicles from a terminal, vehicles
			 identified in subsection (4)(a)(i) through (v) of this section receive
			 preferential loading only if they have a reservation.
(i) A visibly marked school vehicle owned,
			 operated, or sponsored by a school** when operating on regular schedules
			 preapproved by the WSF or when advance notice is provided to each affected WSF
			 terminal (**as defined in
			 RCW
			  28A.150.010 (K-12),
			 RCW
			  28A.150.020 (public schools),
			 RCW
			  28A.195.010 (K-12 private schools), and RCW
			 28B.195.070 (secondary schools)).
(j) A visibly marked, preapproved or
			 regularly scheduled publicly or privately owned public transportation vehicle**
			 operating under a Washington state utilities and transportation commission
			 certificate for public convenience and necessity (**as defined in
			 RCW
			  81.68.010 (regular route/ fixed termini),
			 RCW
			  81.70.010 (charter and excursion)).
(k) A visibly marked nonprofit or publicly
			 supported transportation vehicle** having provided each affected WSF terminal
			 with advance notice and presenting a WSF permit making it readily identifiable
			 as a public transportation vehicle (**as defined in chapter 81.66 RCW (private,
			 nonprofit special needs)).
(l) A
			 visibly marked and randomly scheduled private for profit transportation
			 vehicle** operating under a Washington state utilities and transportation
			 commission certificate for public convenience and necessity traveling on routes
			 where WSF is the only major access for land-based traffic only when that
			 private for profit transportation vehicle has provided each affected WSF
			 terminal with a preapproved schedule and/or advance notice of its proposed
			 sailing(s), (**as defined in
			 chapter
			 81.68 RCW (regular
			 route/fixed termini), chapter 81.70 RCW (charter and excursion), chapter 81.66
			 RCW (private nonprofit special needs),
			 chapter
			 46.72 RCW (private, for
			 hire)).
(m) A ride-sharing vehicle
			 for persons with special transportation needs** transporting a minimum of three
			 elderly and/or disabled riders or two elderly and/or disabled riders and an
			 attendant presenting WSF ride-share registration program permit only when the
			 operator of that vehicle has provided each affected WSF terminal with advance
			 notice of its proposed sailing(s) (**as defined in
			 RCW
			  46.74.010 (ride sharing for persons with
			 special transportation needs)).
(n)
			 A visibly marked, public ride-share vehicle** owned by a transit agency and
			 leased out to members of the public through the transit agency's registration
			 program only when the operator of that vehicle has provided each affected WSF
			 terminal with advance notice of its proposed sailing(s) (**as defined in
			 RCW
			  46.74.010 (commuter ride sharing)).
(o) A privately owned commuter ride-share
			 vehicle** that visibly presents WSF approved identification markings readily
			 identifiable by the public. There must be a minimum of three occupants in any
			 such vehicle to receive preferential loading. Any such ride-share vehicle must
			 be registered and in good standing in the WSF ride-share registration program
			 (**as defined by
			 RCW
			  46.74.010 (commuter ride sharing)).
(p) Specific to the Anacortes-San Juan
			 Islands routes, a vehicle carrying livestock and traveling on routes where
			 Washington state ferries is the only major access for land-based traffic, where
			 such livestock (i) is raised for commercial purposes and is recognized by the
			 department of agriculture, county agriculture soil and conservation service, as
			 raised on a farm; or (ii) is traveling to participate in a 4H event sanctioned
			 by a county extension agent.
(q)
			 Specific to the Anacortes-San Juan Islands routes and until reservations are
			 available for general purpose traffic to and from the San Juan Islands, home
			 health care workers engaged in travel to and from patient visits.
(r) Specific to the Seattle-Bainbridge and
			 Edmonds-Kingston ferry routes, where a vehicle occupant claims that an extended
			 wait would cause detrimental health risks to their livestock en route to
			 veterinarian services not available in the local community, that vehicle will
			 be allowed preferential loading whenever the vehicle occupant has provided a
			 medical form certified by a veterinarian that such preferential loading is
			 required.
(s) Specific to the
			 Fauntleroy-Vashon, Seattle-Bain-bridge, Mukilteo-Clinton, and Anacortes-San
			 Juan ferry routes, any mail delivery vehicle with proper documentation from the
			 U.S. Postal Service showing that such vehicle is in the actual process of
			 delivering mail.
(t) Vehicles 22
			 feet and over in length engaged in the conduct of commerce and/or
			 transportation of passengers where and when WSF management has determined that
			 the sale of vehicle space may promote higher utilization of available route
			 capacity and an increase in revenues.
(u) An oversized or overweight vehicle 22
			 feet and over in length, and/or over 8 1/2 feet in width, and 80,000 lbs. or
			 greater in weight) requiring transport at special times due to tidal
			 conditions, vessel assignments, or availability of space.
(v) A scheduled bicycle group as determined
			 by WSF only when a representative of that group has provided WSF with advance
			 notice of the proposed travel schedule.