Central Whidbey leaders are hard at work trying to head off an impending crisis on the Keystone to Port Townsend ferry run this summer.

With only one small boat serving the route, the scenario is grim indeed. Thousands of people depend on the ferry to access the summertime playland of the Olympic Peninsula, and often in the past, two 75-car ferries couldn’t keep up with the demand. Chances of the 50-car Steilacoom II getting the job done are exactly zero.

The state, of course, is to blame. It didn’t maintain its ferry fleet or purchase enough boats to keep up with the demand systemwide. It is local folks, unfortunately, who have to pay the price for these years of neglect.

The summer scenario on Central Whidbey is grim: Ferry users may avoid the Keystone to Port Townsend route altogether, which could devastate the tourism economy on the island. Or if they try the route, they’ll get angry waiting for hours for the single ferry, vowing never to return.

If there is indeed to be only a single car ferry, then supplemental passenger-only ferry service will be needed. Washington State Ferries should be committed to spending whatever it takes to keep people moving across Admiralty Inlet and to provide transportation once they land at the ferry dock. Continuous shuttle service from Keystone to downtown Coupeville should be provided, and perhaps beyond. Why not a shuttle to Deception Pass and the Clinton ferry?

Longer summer operating hours for the Steilacoom II were approved last week, which is a step in the right direction. And the state should fund advertising, encouraging folks to bring themselves to Whidbey but not their vehicles, making sure transportation is available to make this happen.

The summer plan has to be adopted and funded quickly. People concerned about the Keystone to Port Townsend Route should attend a meeting of the Port Townsend / Keystone Ferry Partnership Group Thursday, March 27, at 3 p.m. at Camp Casey’s Auditorium B.