Officials at Washington State Ferries had hoped to make a decision last Friday about the effectiveness of their recent pilot program meant to improve loading at Fauntleroy, but because of other problems in the system, officials will make that determination this week.

Ferries communications manager Brian Mannion said that staff will continue to evaluate typical loading patterns through Thursday, analyze data and determine if the pilot program procedures provided benefit.

Vehicle traffic has been increasing recently, and the summer travel schedule is set to begin on June 25. Ferry officials had said they wanted something in place by summer to help ease extended waits, which occurred routinely last year. Summer is nearly here again, and Mannion said officials are keenly aware of it.

“We are feeling the pressure to get out there (with improvements), not only for our customers, but for our staff,” Mannion said.

The pilot program relies on a “splitter” to help the police officer work the ferry line at Fauntleroy; it also calls for all vehicles to pass through ticket booths, whether they are ticketed or not. Reaction on social media to the four-day trial has been largely negative, and Mannion said the ferry system has received many comments directly. But he said the ferry system will rely on hard data to determine if the proposed measures will make a difference. He also cautioned that improvements in boarding might not be visible.

“As it gets busier, we can move faster, and there can be longer waits,” he said.

The possible changes at Fauntleroy were proposed by the ferry system in consultation with the Triangle Improvement Task Force, which is made up of residents and ferry advisory committee members from Fauntleroy, Vashon and Southworth.

Vashon’s Greg Beardsley, who serves on the committee, originally stated that he thought the plan was the best that the group could come up with given all the existing constraints, but last week, he expressed different thoughts. He has been hearing a lot of feedback about the continued failure to load boats completely and of ticketed cars getting stuck behind others at the ticket booth, he said.

“I am a little bit disappointed in the solution we have come up with,” he added.

He said he believes that the key to filling the boats is to have a ticket booth simply for pre-ticketed vehicles, which would also serve as an incentive for people to buy their tickets early. He noted that he agreed that a bypass lane, which many people have requested be returned to use, is no longer safe because of increased vehicle traffic. But he said he would like to see Ferries try to send pre-ticketed passengers through one booth with the goal of reducing the number of empty spots on ferries during peak travel times. He suggested that ferry riders raise the issue with legislators and ask them step in and allow for those with tickets to bypass others.

Despite his complaints, Beardsley noted that many of the problems that the ferry system is facing are out of its control.

“There is the famous tipping point theory. We ran over it several years ago at that facility, and now it is coming back to bite,” he said.

Sen. Sharon Nelson, who lives on Maury Island and routinely takes travels by ferry, is frequently in touch with ferry officials.

She said she believes Ferries is working hard to try to address some of the problems at the dock, but she noted a number of challenges: increasing amounts of traffic on the Triangle route; a dock that is too small to serve well as a staging area and drivers who are not ready to pay when buying tickets. She added that she has watched the loading procedures with ferry staff and learned a great deal about the process — which can be easily delayed by one-seemingly small problem.

She noted that the City of Seattle recently changed the parking cut off time along Fauntleroy Way to 2 p.m. from 3 p.m. — a move that was not popular with the locals. She was also clear about the prospects for a larger dock.

“If we could widen the dock, it would be the solution. It is not going to happen,” she said.

She also urged people to buy their tickets in advance and scan tickets and send copies to visitors coming from off-island. She stated that when people head for a ferry, it should be like going to the airport — they should be similarly prepared.

She added that in recent years, ferry system leaders have been much more focused on customers service than their predecessors.

“I believe working with them we can find solutions,” she said.