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Berkeley ranks second only to Treasure Island when it comes to Bay Area demand for a new ferry service, according to a recent state-commissioned study. The results make the city a leading candidate for commuter boats. 

But ferry service still faces significant political hurdles with state approval hanging in the balance and local critics worried about the project’s economic feasibility and environmental impact. 

Written by the San Francisco Bay Water Transit Authority, the study found that by 2025, if service is in place, some 2,776 Berkeley residents will take the ferry to San Francisco on a typical weekday. The Treasure Island to San Francisco route would be the most popular with 3,587 commuters. South San Francisco placed third and Richmond was fourth. 

The Water Transit Authority, established by the legislature in 1999 to examine the potential for expanded ferry service, is now focusing on the four communities with the greatest demand. 

Under current WTA plans, construction on a Berkeley terminal would begin in 2009 and service would start in 2010, with trips to San Francisco and perhaps other parts of the Bay Area.  

The agency has not identified specific sites for a Berkeley terminal, but locals say Berkeley Marina and the shorefront at the end of Gilman Street are the leading contenders. 

Advocates say ferry service would be a boon. 

“Ferries are the people’s yacht,” said Linda Perry of the Berkeley Ferry Committee. “Anybody in this town can get out there and really get to know our Bay – all for the price of a BART ticket.” 

Still, ferry service in Berkeley is anything but a foregone conclusion. Next year, the Legislature will consider having the WTA prepare a planning document and a draft environmental impact report to help it decide whether ferry service is even viable. The costs of the service are yet to be determined. 

And on a local level, some city officials and activists have a range of concerns such as ferry service drawing money from other public transit systems, that it might disturb ducks on the bay or create a parking nightmare. 

“You start out thinking it’s a wonderful thing and you want it to happen,” said City Councilmember Linda Maio. “But the devil is in the details.” 

Heidi Machen, spokesperson for the WTA, said the agency will not drain the budgets of other public transit services like BART or AC Transit. The total funding that WTA would need is unclear. 

Machen said the WTA will draw on a proposed $1 toll hike on Bay Area bridges, which would take hold in 2005, and it would seek additional federal, state and local funding.  

The state would ask municipalities like Berkeley, she said, to help pay for the construction of terminals. 

Still, local officials said they are skeptical about the ferry service’s funding sources and they raised questions about issues like parking. The agency is projecting a need for 560 parking spaces at the Berkeley terminal. 

“The basic proposals generally involve building a massive parking garage and encouraging people to drive to the ferry, which is somewhat counterproductive for a public transit system,” said City Councilmember Kriss Worthington. 

Mayor Shirley Dean, who supports the push for ferry service, said anything approaching 600 spaces is unacceptable. But the city could cut down on the number of parking spaces by providing a bus service to the terminal, she said. 

Norman La Force of the Sierra Club said he has a number of environmental concerns regarding the project. Drudging the polluted bay to build a terminal would be a problem, he said. The ferries, he explained, would unsettle the water, preventing ducks from “drafting,” or getting proper rest on the water. 

The WTA’s Machen, though, said the drudging would be minimal and that birds would be unharmed. 

“The reality is, birds are a little smarter than we give them credit for,” said Machen. “Birds tend to relocate as necessary.”  

In the end, Dean said, the city and state should be able to work out any environmental concerns.  

“I don’t think anyone wants to kill a rafting duck, for goodness sake,” she said. 

Mayoral candidate Tom Bates was more cautious about the ability to prevail over environmental and economic barriers. 

“I would be skeptical about our ability to overcome those problems,” he said. “But I think it’s worth looking into.” 

Tonight, the City Council will consider naming Assistant City Manager for Transportation Peter Hillier to a community advisory board for the WTA. Hillier said that if appointed to the board he will bring Berkeley’s environmental concerns to the table. 

The advisory committee has been up and running for a year-and-a-half, but a City Council fight over naming an appointee has left Berkeley without a representative.  

City Councilmembers said they don’t expect any opposition to Hillier’s appointment.