TxDOT is being criticized for failing to address congestion on the Bolivar-Galveston Ferry. A 2006 regulation allowing priority boarding was never implemented, leaving taxpayers frustrated and calling for real solutions.
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Almost twenty years after a TxDOT control was developed to alleviate traffic on the Bolivar-Galveston Ferry, dissatisfaction over the agency's neglect of the priority boarding permit program is growing. Critics contend that despite ongoing public contributions to road and transportation funding, Texas visitors still endure excessive wait times and ineffective ferry service.
With Texans for Toll-Free Highways, Terri Hall criticizes TxDOT for its inactivity. "This has to be addressed when a congestion issue has been festering for 20 years, yet taxpayers continue to pay gasoline and all the other taxes we pay on our vehicles," Hall added.
The suggested $250 yearly priority boarding card was meant to offer businesses depending on timely transportation and a faster substitute for regular ferry customers. TxDOT argues, meanwhile, that when the program was launched in 2006, there was little interest in it.
Hall contends that the pass is only a Band-Aid rather than a permanent solution. "That is not good for our economy; it is not good for these businesses that must have their employees show up on time," she remarked. "We must solve this and consider long-term rather than temporary solutions."
She also attacked TxDOT for not having a "customer service mindset," saying the agency is hurting Texas visitors by neglecting ongoing congestion.
TxDOT insists that the priority pass system was abandoned due to a lack of demand. Still, it has not suggested any other course of action to address the continuous boat congestion problem.
