Kitsap

Fast ferry runs will continue between Seattle and Bremerton on Saturdays from May to September, but will no longer be maintained through the off-season after a reduction in state support.

Kitsap Transit is planning a new fast ferry terminal on the Seattle waterfront and eyeing three potential sites, with Pier 48 the clear frontrunner. Through August 11, the agency is accepting comments to guide its study.

On Wednesday, Bremerton ditched parking mandates, letting builders choose housing over excessive parking. Following in the footsteps of cities like Spokane, Port Townsend, and Bellingham, the move sets Bremerton up to prioritize housing needs and improving multimodal travel options.

Next Monday, the Bremerton Planning Commission will vote on a reform that could go as far as ending parking mandates citywide. The policy has mostly seen smooth sailing, outside of Commissioner Richard Tift’s proposal to exempt low-density residential zones that compose 80% of all land available for housing.

Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler has presented car-centric preliminary designs for the 6th Street project, with no alternative building sidewalks and bike lanes to state safety standards. Travis Merrigan argues the Bremerton City Council should press the City to study such an option.

Bainbridge Island and its picturesque downtown of Winslow is poised to see significant changes thanks to new state laws, as the Bainbridge council grapples with how to plan housing growth for the coming decades.

Recently completed Bremerton street projects have fallen well short of modern safety standards. The projects fail to shorten crosswalk distances, slow traffic speed, or protect cyclists with more than paint.

A perfect storm of factors is creating a drag on walk-on ridership on Washington State Ferries. Reasons include service reductions, fast ferries poaching riders, and the trend toward working from home.