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I have lived in Edmonds nearly all my adult life. It’s been a great community to raise a family and have a career. Our citizens are welcoming, and there’s a real charm about the town.
However, I don’t find the infrastructure of the city welcoming to our ferry patrons. We locals and regular users of the Kingston run know our way about and function just fine, but people coming through Edmonds who are unfamiliar with our streets can get lost very easily, especially if they don’t come in on SR 104 (Edmonds Way). However, even those folks might get confused with “Kingston Ferry” signs from the freeway but “Edmonds Ferry…” announcements on the overhead electronic sign.
I walk along the Edmonds waterfront most days, and I have frequently had drivers stop me and ask how to get to the ferry. GPS often takes them to the terminal at Railroad and Main where the ferry workers politely redirect cars. However, many folks simply drive around looking and eventually find a local to ask for help.
We need better signage, especially for vehicles not entering town on Edmonds Way. Cars from the north and east are directed south (with small signs) on Third Avenue past the park, then sent right at Pine Street to Edmonds Way. However, when traffic is heavy, that block is barricaded. Last Saturday when I was driving along that route, I noticed the green “Ferry Traffic” sign directed them right, but the barricades were up.
There are instructions on the barricade, all fairly small and not crystal clear. Some are black print on a dark red background. The instructions are hard enough to read that a driver cannot quickly determine what to do. We need to consider a better solution than a cluttered sign that sends the visitors to an unclear destination – up to 5th, then right to first ”legal” U-turn. I have observed rather dangerous U-turns in the big curve by the bank on Edmonds Way. We should direct traffic south on 3rd to Algonquin, then left to Edmonds Way and left again at the light. It’s safer, and it wouldn’t need to happen very frequently.
We need good ferry signage throughout the city. Signs should be reasonable in size and clear. They should be consistent (i.e., “Kingston Ferry,” not “Edmonds Ferry”) and detours should be well marked when in place. We encourage people to come to and go through Edmonds. Let’s make their visits easy.
Bruce – great observation – and appreciate your experience as a resident.
We also live in Edmonds and take the ferry regularly, we walk a lot along the water and see firsthand..
Edmonds deserves better. Our city welcomes nearly 4 million ferry riders a year, yet we still can’t manage clear signage or coordinated traffic routes. That’s not a resource problem — it’s a leadership one.
For too long, City Hall has operated reactively, not strategically. We’ve studied traffic flow, visitor access, and business impacts for years, but execution never follows. Residents and visitors alike are left navigating barricades and mixed messages, while the city talks about “process.”
It’s time for a change at the top. Edmonds needs leaders who can turn plans into progress — leaders who treat transportation, public safety, and business access as interconnected priorities. The data, and the daily experience of anyone who drives downtown, make it clear: what’s broken isn’t just the system — it’s the leadership behind it.
For some, this might be a ‘small’ problem statement, but it’s gone on too long without a fix. We need new leadership and subject matter expertise at city hall.
Prepositions matter
Despite how irresistible it is for ya’ll to blame Edmonds “leadership” for every little wrinkle, Ferry signage is a WA state dept. of transportation function.
https://apps.wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washington-state-ferries/contact-us?mode=General
Matthew, that link took me to a contact email option to ask questions. When I asked AI about this topic, here are the basic points from the response.
In Washington, responsibility for ferry traffic directional signs is shared between the ferry system (Washington State Department of Transportation, or WSDOT) and local governments, depending on the location of the sign.
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)
On state highways: WSDOT is responsible for all traffic control devices on state highways, including signs that direct drivers toward a ferry terminal.
Local governments
On local streets: Cities and counties are responsible for signs on their own local roads that direct traffic to a ferry terminal.
That’s a fair point Bruce. There’s also a statement on DOT site that WSDOT is responsible for all Ferry signage on and off of the boats. Whatever ambiguity there may be, I don’t see this as a “leadership” defect. I really think the DOT feedback mechanism is a good place to register comments and suggestions.
Both are critical. DOT is not responsible for those on Third Avenue South (not a state highway), and that’s where so many of the problems occur. The last sign from the north, as I recall, is where Caspers turns left onto Third Avenue North (still a state route). From that point, the next sign is the one just beyond the city park (city street) which directs drivers to make a right turn for the ferry. But on busy days, that’s barricaded and the virtually unreadable signs direct ferry traffic up Pine Street, where they are basically abandoned.
I also don’t think there are any ferry signs coming from the east down Main Street hill (city streets). We need better signage from both the city and the state.
Matthew – thank you SO much for pointing out the actual source of ferry signage. It simply didn’t occur to me (either).
Thanks Matthew. I was thinking the same thing when I read Lee Reeves’s rant about the ferry signage. Washington state runs the ferries not Edmonds. And yes it is confusing. I’ve had paniced drivers ask me how to get to the ferry. And I can’t imagine how someone reads that tiny sign on the barricade once they reach 3rd & Pine. Maybe Lee Reeves could contact the state personally and get them to make the needed changes.
Not my role or my job – that responsibility lies with the people currently in office..
Blame where it belongs: ferry signage and terminal operations are WSDOT’s job — not City Hall’s. But that doesn’t let Edmonds off the hook.
Under new leadership, the City should stop hand-wringing and lead: a binding MOU with WSDOT, real-time incident coordination, clear detour plans when queues spike, targeted traffic enforcement at choke points, and pedestrian-first safety at the crossing.
Modernize wayfinding so visitors find downtown, not just a ferry lane.
Protect small businesses with load-zone access and event-day mitigation. WSDOT runs the boats; Edmonds must manage the impacts.
That’s the standard residents deserve.
Lee, you posted this before my checking on the state law. The DOT is responsible for signage on state highways (104 and 524, which is 196th/Puget Drive/Caspers/Third Avenue North), but the city is responsible for signage on city streets (Third Avenue South and any detours it creates). I think the city and state need to work together to make the city more ferry-rider friendly!
Matthew,
Thank you for the clarification. I suspect Lee will welcome the information so he can direct his concerns to the appropriate entity.
It’s so much more impactful to rely on facts rather than assumptions.
I was coming back to Edmonds from Kingston yesterday. There were no signs anywhere to let people know that you needed to get a boarding pass a mile or so from town. I didn’t see a line and drove into town where there was a small line before the toll booth. A ferry worker was walking along the street and talking to the drivers. When he got to me he asked me where
my boarding pass was. I told him I didn’t know anything about it. He told me I had to get out of line and drive back to a place I wasn’t aware of to get a pass. I drove back out of town and saw some construction and cones. There was a guy moving the cones. No cars were there. I asked him about the pass and he said just go into town!! Jeez!! Bad communication & signage!