Thanks for the Heads-Up Skagit County

Angle parking on Guemes Island Road during ferry outages has been practiced for over two decades.  There has been no remarkable safety or accident problems with this practice other than the aggravation of a vehicle or two left for days after the outage was over. The best current example is the over 8 week outage this last year in which angle parking was allowed and produced none of the hazards cited in the May 1, 2026 County Update.   “. . . but current roadway design and safety requirements do not allow angle parking in locations where it would reduce lane width, limit visibility or restrict emergency access.” 

First, there has been no "current" design change to the Guemes Island Road or its ferry loading lane in years.  True some large trucks did extend into the active right-hand lane during recent outages but these did not cause accidents or limit access by emergency vehicles that anyone can site.  Signs limiting vehicle length to 20 feet would address this non-problem.

The new parallel parking will, however, cause a safety problem. People forced to park, for example, at the Community Center North Lot will have to walk along a County road with no sidewalks for a quarter mile in traffic.  That is a major risk factor for a serious accident.

The first islanders heard of this new requirement was when four county crew arrived putting up “parallel parking “signs. The first announcement of this new practice was in the April 30 ferry newsletter.  One rational cited for the change was that the parallel parking would allow more ADA slots.  Four were added in the parking lot, but this odd justification will simply move ADA slots into the already overcrowded main Guemes lot. 

Knowing for months that the once available Guemes Skagit Transit Bus service was cancelled for this and future outages, the question remains why Skagit County did not give prior notice of this parallel parking order or make any attempt to allow public input on the new practice.  This is not transparent government, it is the reverse. With no timely notification, islanders had no chance to look into van pooling or other solutions to a major change in the long-standing practice of angle parking on Guemes.  Meanwhile the solution given by the County is: “Parking areas will be monitored, and vehicles may be ticketed and/or towed.”    

One thing to do is to call the following individuals and express your surprise and displeasure at the process and the outcome:

Michael See, Director of Public Works: 360 416 1400

Ron Wesen, County Commissioner, District 1:  360 416 1300

Peter Browning, County Commissioner, District 2: 360 416 1300

Joe Burns, County Commissioner, District 3:  360 416 1300