WOODS HOLE, A TINY VILLAGE AND BOTTLENECK FOR THE SSA FERRYSERVICE, PROTESTS THE INCESSANT GROWTH AND OVERDEVELOPMENT OF ITS FERRY PORT.

Please support our petition: https://www.change.org/SaveWoodsHoleVillage

We want a sustainable plan that supports the original Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Woods Hole Steamship Authority's (SSA) mission to provide Martha's Vineyard's residents safe and easily accessible travel, while providing for their necessities within the framework of sustainability on both sides of the water. Sustainability implies respect for the nature of residential neighborhoods as well. An alternate port for non-time-sensitive freight and additional passenger and car transit access for some travelers to Martha's Vineyard would be a start to relieving congestion, noise and pollution. Everyone from Bourne to the port area will benefit.

The current development plans will turn a village site into a big business.  This will not work for the benefit of everyone. The original mission of the SSA is service. The founding SSA document (1960) notes that the operating model is for the benefit of all members of the Commonwealth. Woods Hole is a bottleneck.

We do not want the ever-increasing SSA traffic congestion on our country roads and in our tiny village. In 2019, 141,292 truck and 414,967 cars (556,259 total) with the sub total from June through September of 249,548 cars and trucks entering and exiting Woods Hole to take ferries. In addition, daily transiting the village are more than 166 SSA-associated vehicles, which do not get onto ferries. All combined, local plus SSA traffic has become overwhelming. Road safety including the passage of emergency vehicles is just one aspect. UPDATE IN 2023: In 2022, the Steamship Authority transported 59,233 trucks through the Woods Hole terminal, a 39% increase since 2012. It is time to expand into the United States Marine Highway Program Section 1121.

We do not want to continue with the ongoing and increasing problems caused by massive SSA traffic, an un-navigable sea of asphalt, the proposed oversized paper ticketing building in an electronic reservation era, port area pollution, noise, missed ferry trips by those with reservations, the shipment of non-critical freight, and circumscribed access to the post office and local businesses.

If community concerns are not integrated into the design, for the next 100 years, Woods Hole will be living with the serious negative impact of an unsustainable transportation project that overrides local infrastructure capacity, and the local way of life. One issue is sleep disruption at early hours of the morning from freight traffic trying to make the 5:30 ferry, a run impacting 100s of residents along the 17 mile route to the terminal from Bourne Bridge. Residents object to the disturbance and would like this run eliminated and moved forward. We also know from observing Stop & Shop trucks that there is more flexibility in when to ship in food supplies than is currently acknowledged by the SSA.

We would appreciate your support for both our petition to the SSA and separately for our community comments that are still waiting for more detailed and responsive answers from the Steamship Authority.

Photo:
Left: Recent SSA traffic backed up beyond Church Street, forcing an ambulance to drive into oncoming SSA traffic exiting Woods Hole.
Right: Massive SSA over development with 3 new fully operational slips extended 90 feet into public navigable harbor waterways.

Here is the petition link: https://www.change.org/SaveWoodsHoleVillage

And

Here is the link to support community comments: www.steamshipauthority.info

UPDATE IN 2023: Please note: a donation is optional