<p>At a well-attended public hearing Tuesday, Falmouth residents urged Steamship Authority governors to eliminate freight service from Woods Hole prior to 6:30 a.m.</p>
A growing number of Falmouth residents say they are losing sleep as a result of morning truck traffic to the Vineyard.
Catherine Bumpus, co-president of the Woods Hole Community Association.
Catherine Bumpus, co-president of the Woods Hole Community Association.
At a well-attended public hearing in Falmouth on Tuesday, dozens of residents urged the Steamship Authority board of governors to eliminate fall freight service from Woods Hole prior to 6:30 a.m. Some pointed to New Bedford as an alternate point of departure for trucks heading to the Vineyard.
Concerns over freight traffic in Woods Hole have been mounting for some time, with a consultant for the Steamship Authority now exploring the feasibility of trash and freight service from New Bedford. (A similar study was completed last year, but boat line leaders said the $10 million to $15 million cost of building a new terminal would be prohibitive.)
At least 90 people packed into a meeting room at the Falmouth Public Library for the hearing on Tuesday, including a number of truckers and at least two members of the Island business community.
The hearing had been called in response to a petition by 61 Falmouth residents in June opposing the early morning freight trips proposed in the Steamship Authority’s schedule for Martha’s Vineyard next winter and spring.
Concerns focused on the noise associated with trucks on Woods Hole Road and at the boat line terminal. More than a little heat was directed at the Vineyard community itself, which benefits from the service.
Joe El-Deiry said early morning ferries are a lifeline for the Vineyard.
Joe El-Deiry said early morning ferries are a lifeline for the Vineyard.
“It is unfortunate that the quality of life of Falmouth residents is suffering for the convenience of the Vineyard residents,” said Catherine Bumpus, co-president of the Woods Hole Community Association.
The schedule for mid-March to early April would include between seven and nine freight trips per day, with the earliest leaving from Vineyard Haven at 5:30 a.m. From April to mid-May, the earliest trips would leave from Woods Hole at 5:30 a.m. Unlike last year, the period from January to mid-March would include weekend freight trips, and more trips throughout the week. The earliest would leave from both Woods Hole and Vineyard Haven at 6 a.m.
Roland Beliveau was among many residents who said the sound of trucks braking or backing up has become a severe nuisance by waking people up in the morning. He strongly supported the idea of establishing freight service from New Bedford, and pointed out that Falmouth maintains a large parking lot for ferry passengers.
“Let the Vineyarders pay their fair share, rather than make us suffer,” he said, drawing applause.
Association member Judy Stetson read aloud a letter from Rep. Dylan Fernandes, who said his office has received a record number of complaints about the freight traffic. Mr. Fernandes urged boat line governors to address the concerns. Falmouth selectman Doug Jones noted a 1999 joint resolution between the Falmouth and Vineyard selectmen asking the SSA to change the first boat from 6 to 7 a.m.
But others stressed the importance of the early morning freight service for communities on both sides of Vineyard Sound.
Falmouth selectman Doug Jones.
Falmouth selectman Doug Jones.
Joe El-Deiry, general manager of John Keene Excavation in West Tisbury, said the early morning ferries are a lifeline for the Vineyard.
“It is very important to make sure that you are able to get to the Island and off the Island,” he said, “and do what you need to do when other businesses are open.” He added that the 6 a.m. ferry allows many people to commute to the Island. “If you get rid of that boat you are obviously going to be eating into those people’s opportunity to earn a living,” he said.
Others also acknowledged the shared benefits, but still pressed for the elimination of freight trips before 6:30 a.m.
Kevin Robinson, who owns the Captain’s Manor Inn in Falmouth, said most of his guests also visit the Island, but he said more and more of them have been complaining about the noise on Woods Hole Road.
Falmouth residents say they are losing sleep over truck noise.
Falmouth residents say they are losing sleep over truck noise.
“The Steamship Authority is a lifeline, but I could lose customers,” he said, urging the board to find ways to make the trucks slow down.
Several people said reduced speeds on Woods Hole Road would prevent jake braking, where compressed air is released from inside a truck engine to help it slow down, making a loud rumbling noise.
Bruce O’Donnell of Oak Bluffs, who takes trucks on the 5:30 a.m. ferry, said losing those trips would put deliveries two or three hours behind. He pointed out that many trucks deliver to businesses within Falmouth. “Are you going to regulate all the trucks coming into Falmouth, so they can’t come in until after 6:30, or are you just regulating the trucks that are going to the boat? Because that’s not fair,” he said.
Some argued that without the early morning ferries, more deliveries would take place in the daytime, creating a hazard in Falmouth. “The streets are going to be filled with people, filled with school buses, filled with kids,” said Mark Patel. “You want these gas trucks and these propane trucks coming down then?”
In response, several people said: “New Bedford!”
SSA governors made no comment, with the exception of New Bedford governor and board chairman Moira Tierney, who asked that people refrain from applause. SSA general counsel Steven Sayers, who chaired the hearing, said a final report on the proposed schedule would incorporate the public comments.
Judy Steson read a statement from state Rep. Dylan Fernandes.
Judy Steson read a statement from state Rep. Dylan Fernandes.
Matt Trumbull, who initiated the petition, spoke at length about his efforts over the last two years to address the noise problem. He said when the 5:30 a.m. freight ferry started running in 2015, people felt taken by surprise. He noted two previous petitions to address the matter, but he said concerns have generally been ignored
“In my view, the Steamship [Authority] is singlehandedly ruining our quality of life in Woods Hole and parts of Falmouth,” he said.
Turning to the possibility of freight service from New Bedford, he said it was his understanding that most trucks going over from Woods Hole were already passing by New Bedford on their way.
Brian van Herzen, executive director of the nonprofit Climate Foundation in Woods Hole, said his group is exploring the possibility of barging trash and recyclables from the Vineyard to New Bedford using existing infrastructure and possibly leveraging state funds. He said that arrangement would provide multiple benefits, including a reduction in truck traffic in Woods Hole and lower greenhouse gas emissions resulting from shorter trips on the mainland.
After the hearing, boat line general manager Wayne Lamson told the Gazette that New Bedford freight service would not be an easy win, given the cost factors and current restrictions on the use of an existing pier in New Bedford, where the piles need to be replaced. He added that New Bedford mayor Jon Mitchell has not appeared to embrace the idea of freight service on the waterfront.
He said concerns in Falmouth originally focused on noise at the Woods Hole terminal, which he said the Steamship Authority has addressed in part by running 5:30 a.m. ferries that do not require trucks to back on to the vessel. “Once we addressed those problems, it then expanded all the way up Woods Hole Road,” Mr. Lamson said.
But he also noted that truck drivers often arrive at 5 a.m. hoping to get on the 5:30 ferry, even if their reservations are for later in the day. “We have to do something to prevent those trucks from showing up at 5 when there is practically no chance that they are going to be able to get on the boat,” he said.
The board will hold its regular meeting next week on Nantucket, but Mr. Lamson said the proposed Vineyard schedule for next year was not on the agenda. He hoped to have a final report on the schedule in the next couple of weeks.
Comments
You might remind those people
DaveYou might remind those people who own homes in Woods Hole and Falmonth that the islands and Steamship Authority were there long before they ever owned their homes. What do you think is happening every where . . . as the population grows, people live longer, things change! If you don't want to listen to some early morning noise, don't buy a house or live near the Steamship Authority.
Agreed..... Real Estate
Dave Baker JUPITER, FLAgreed..... Real Estate Markets change.... No complaints from anyone when real estate values increase! If you can't stand the noise move away. Chances are sale of your house or business will make you a Fortune. If you are a renter it is easy to move. If there was no commerce, then the real estate and business values would fall and the complainers would be singing a different tune. You would be begging for early morning ferries. I think the managers and Boards have been doing a great job running the business of moving people and freight on and off island considering the stakeholders on both sides of the water despite significant regulations imposed for this cause or group of special interests.
Woods Hole residents are some
Down IslanderWoods Hole residents are some of the most "entitled" people imaginable.
They don't think of themselves as belonging to the greater community of Falmouth.
Thus, they ignore the $$$ brought into Falmouth by the SSA but would like the state highway where they have their houses to be treated like a rural lane in a gated community.
There are many nice neighborhoods in the town of Falmouth.
People who don't like the Woods Hole Road can move elsewhere.
Others will be happy to purchase the Woods Hole Road homes.
The comment about Vineyarders "paying their own way" is a joke.
Vineyarders pay through the nose for parking, etc. in Falmouth.
Last I heard, most of the SSA jobs are taken by Falmouth and Mashpee residents, not Vineyarders. Has this changed lately?
Of course, those employees probably do not live on the Woods Hole Road!
The noise, pollution and
Patricia Keoughan FalmouthThe noise, pollution and traffic hold-ups affect everyone living along or connecting to Woods Hole Rd. That includes 401B, and senior citizen housing. One person speaking said people staying in his B&B on Main St. Falmouth complain about the noise. I live in Falmouth and often cannot get to the town because of the increased ferry traffic. It is almost impossible to get to Falmouth Hospital in a timely manner from Woods Hole Rd. in the summer. Please don't discount this problem by lying about who is affected.
Lots of senior citizens live
Down IslanderLots of senior citizens live on Martha's Vineyard.
WE also have to put up with pollution from traffic.
We also have to wait in traffic lines.
Sometimes the bridge is up and we have to wait for it to go down again.
There is often a tailback in Falmouth between the divided highway and the Hospital lights.
The traffic on Main Street often does not move and there is no parking in Falmouth.
This is all part of living. What does noise in a B&B on Main STreet in Falmouth have to do with the Woods Hole Road?
Nothing that I can see.
Don't blame modern life on the Vineyard.
Dave is right. If you don't
BS OBDave is right. If you don't like the noise that was there before you were there, go somewhere else.
I consciously chose to live
Patricia Keoughan FalmouthI consciously chose to live with the ferry traffic when the only apartment I found that I could afford and wasn't a dump was on a road near where the bike path crosses Woods Hole Rd. That was 25 years ago. It's even harder to find an apartment now, plus I would find it very difficult to move financially and health wise today. I am only occasionally woken up by loud trucks tear assing down to road at 4:30 in the morning as I am a block or 2 from the road through woods. In 25 years the Authority has added runs and made the 'Our Home' and 'Woods Hole' larger to hold more trucks and cars. I have had difficulty getting to Falmouth in May because of the huge amount of traffic. I can't get anywhere I need to go in a timely manner once July hits. Easily twice as much as 25 years ago. The pollution from hundreds of cars, buses, 18 wheelers running all day in the summer is so unhealthy for everyone in the vicinity of this road. It gives me headaches. My time is as valuable as your time, but is being used up in Vineyard traffic, especially when I have to get to the hospital. There are many times in the summer when it is almost impossible to get to any place up Rte. 28 because of the congestion at the Hospital Lights. That creates backups on Main St. and every road from there to the ferry docks. The Vineyard and the Steamship Authority used Falmouth to provide the lifeline to the Island and I don't know anyone who doesn't understand this. What no one seems to understand is that the Steamship Authority has moved from using Falmouth to abusing the people of Falmouth on the Buzzards Bay side of town. They make me feel that I don't matter because they don't make money from me, just at my expense. So what you are saying has little to do with the reality of the people living from Ter Huen to the docks along this road.
This general situation is the
Down IslanderThis general situation is the result of decades of poor planning and
millions of consumer and planning "choices."
1. Train service terminated and cars and trucks privileged
for both passenger and freight transport.
2. Market American just love their huge SUVs and trucks and
other gas guzzling vehicles. No other "civilized" country drives private cars/vans/trucks
of the size that Americans think are their right.
The size of vehicles impacts everything, from parking to capacity needed on ferries to pollution.
3. Few American communities are set up with an effective bike infrastructure.
At least the Vineyard is developing a mass transit infrastructure and Falmouth has the bike path.
Use them. Youi can avoid Route 28 traffic by using the bike path and side streets.
Meanwhile, the SSA could change its fare structure so that fares for vehicles were by the foot.
The same for parking fees.
Discounts for compacts.
That would at least be a nudge in the right direction and might get some people thinking.
I call bull. I have lived in
Wendy L FalmouthI call bull. I have lived in East Falmouth for 9 years and until recently commuted to the Vineyard 5 days a week. Falmouth has traffic nightmares without the Vineyard & the SSA. Sounds like the issue is a lack of traffic enforcement. Let's get the police out there to ticket the drivers "tear asking" down the road.
These trucks are not only bringing the fancy gourmet foods & expensive wines.....they are delivering the daily medications needed to maintain life, baby items, and items needed for every day life. People living on the Vineyard are no different then you. They struggle to get places in the summer, they struggle to make their rent or to just have a place to live. And if they have to pay even more (yes, items cost more due to shipping ) for freight to come out of New Bedford , it would be one more nail for many Vineyard families
The Vineyard community just
T. Ewell Hopkins Oak BluffsThe Vineyard community just commissioned a year long study of what we throw away and the benefits of commercial scale composting. Our first approach must be to reduce traffic by reducing the need for so many truck trips. We are transporting organics off island and then transporting back other forms of organics directly derived from the composting of those same materials shipped off in the first place. Our public and private leadership must discourage pitting the Woodshole community against the Vineyard community and focus on environmentally sensitive solutions with quality of life benefits for all.
https://vineyardgazette.com/news/2017/04/30/yearlong-food-waste-study-e…
Thank you Ewell, That is a
Elaine Vanderhoop AquinnahThank you Ewell, That is a great start. We all should be considering the resources we truck around.
There's an insatiable desire to import the most precious woods, granite, stone, marble and appliances
to new construction, the scale of which exceeds anything we have seen in the past. An I agree, gardening
supplies, soils,compost, trees and plants, everything gets imported to the Islands. Everyone needs to
become more mindful of the effects this is having not only on our Island Community where we are looking
at higher and higher cost of living, but also with regard to our neighbors in Falmouth and Woods Hole. I wouldn't
want to be in their shoes, At the same time, us Islanders can't get a reservation off or on the Island now from
June until September. We used to have that problem only in July and August. It's shameful that we can't figure
this out, but looks like some folks are trying to find resolutions for these problem and that is a good start.
It's not new however, and the problem is that nobody wants a composting site near them. NIMBY is always an issue.
The Oak Bluffs Planning Board
T. Ewell Hopkins Oak BluffsThe Oak Bluffs Planning Board has posted the Food Waste / Composting Feasibility Study Report in the document center of the town web-site under Planning Board: http://www.oakbluffsma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1778
This ThursdayJune 29th the topic will be a meeting agenda item.
As I read this, I remembered
O EdgartownAs I read this, I remembered the various communities I have become familiar with over the years where residents purchase real estate near airports then complain about the noise.
The islands should employ a group of motorcycle riders to drive some Harley's up and down Woods Hole road... at 5 AM... every day. Maybe then they will get it.
You live by a road and a ferry terminal. What did you expect?
Yep.
Down IslanderYep.
Where I live I have to cope with noise:
From the SSA, from street cleaning,
from people chatting right outside my window late into the night with the police officer on duty.
Etc.
Of course I would like to have my windows open on these lovely summer nights and early mornings, but I have to close them to get some sleep. The Woods Hole people can do the same.
Jeez. They would rather blame Vineyarders for living in the 20th century (that is, buying things to eat, building and upgrading houses, generating trash, traveling off-Island) and whinge to the SSA to reroute operations to New Bedford---at great expense to all parties---rather than take some self-help measures such as:
Use ear plugs;
Close your windows that face the road;
Plant a hedge between your house and the road;
Install noise baffles on windows that face WHR;
Turn on a "white noise" machine;
Sell your house on Woods Hole Road and move to Hatchville.
I think the Woods Holers actually love to bond over complaining about the Vineyard and the SSA.
Ditto. I live above the Mass
Matthew Wainwright BostonDitto. I live above the Mass Pike when I'm not on the Island. Maybe I should petition the--um, whomever for "quiet time."
Build a bridge between Woods
Emma EdgartownBuild a bridge between Woods Hole and the Vineyard. All problems solved!
There is no stopping progress
Jeremy Brown FalmouthThere is no stopping progress. It is hopeless. Progress satisfies the masses and destroys the past and it's traditions. I have attended two of these public hearings since of have lived in Falmouth and it reminds me so much of Rockland County, NY and the NYS Thruway Authority that plowed through that county and built the Tappan Zee bridge destroying life and beauty as we all knew it for decades. I say don't waste your time with these so called "hearings.". Go to the beach or go bird watching while you can. The Steamship Authority has no idea what matters to you. They don't even comprehend what they are doing and they will just proceed and do it, you can count on that!
I tend to find it an
alpacalunch NJ/OBI tend to find it an insensitive response to tell homeowners who have chosen homes years ago, due to the existing circumstances of those locations in those times, to just pick up and move if they don't like the current changes that have recently occurred.
My question, as someone who summers on island, is this: if the earlier truck runs did not exist before 2015, what makes them of particular necessity two years later? Had the island been handicapped two years ago in ways that severely effect island operations today?
It seems that both sides are feeling the effects of change to tranquil communities who are experiencing the results of increased commercialism. In the end, maybe it's more about whether to preserve the uniqueness of those communities or whether to give way to the changes that will make them like everywhere else.
RE "current changes that have
Down IslanderRE "current changes that have recently occurred"
An increase in noise as it relates to home owners
is really the least of the problems that many people are coping with.
We are all dealing with an increase in noise---many who do not
have the good fortune to be home owners.
Re the size of trucks. If you will take note of the size of the
trucks that now ply our roadways,
you will I think conclude that it is better to get these behemoths
onto the Island and through Five Corners before the rest of the
world wakes up and starts driving around.
Just getting the Carroll truck that keeps the VH Stop & Shop
supplied is a major operation that is best done
when there is little other traffic on the streets.
There is still the train right of way. . . Under the Shining Sea Bike Path.
Maybe trains are the solution . . .
I remember when I worked for
Jeff Baker Prospect MaineI remember when I worked for Goodale's and we hauled our own gravel from Packers to our pit a bunch from West Chop and the waterfront got the town of Tisbury to not let us Haul till after 8 A.M. (we use to haul from 5 A.M. till 10 A.M. approx.) Well you should have seen the mess that made at Noon time,backed up traffic to West Tisbury and Oak Bluffs for miles ! Remember the SSA IS an extension of the State Highway you can't regulate truck use at all !
This time of year the sun is
Albert Franklin FalmouthThis time of year the sun is already up at 5:30 am, how unfortunate it disturbs the sleep time of this entitled snobs. Judith Stetson doesn't even live near the SSA terminal, nor does Mr. Beliveau. I say move one of the turbines to Woods Hole.
The SSA does not care about
Island resident VHThe SSA does not care about Island residents. They are only concerned about the all mighty dollar and how many tourists they can get to the Island. The part about Island residents paying their fair share is a laugh. We pay through the nose for everything! The SSA was created for the people of the Islands but they don't do anything for us!
I don't think I've ever read
Matthew Wainwright BostonI don't think I've ever read about a group of people so completely out of touch with reality in a long time. Surely they have to know that it takes big scary machines to move everything we consume from point a to point b. Surely they knew that 28 and the SSA already existed when they bought in such a hot area. Surely they realized that commercial vehicles cause more traffic delays during peak hours than regular vehicles. Surely they know that slow moving commercial vehicles emit more carcinogens than faster moving ones.
Guess not.
This year has seen increased
NJ Byrne EdgartownThis year has seen increased construction traffic to the Vineyard from off island. I am not surprised that those in Woods Hole are complaining. I don't have the statistics but I'm sure someone does—more cement mixers, more dump trucks, more larger vehicles of all kinds. Living on Pease Point Way in Edgartown I see many trucks every day. These trucks are not coming here to deliver groceries to the Stop & Shop.They are here to dig foundations, deliver new granite kitchens, and haul lumber and gravel. The truck traffic to the Vineyard has increased substantially and it is due to increased construction for homes that no one occupies in winter. Let's do something to help out people in Woods Hole who are only responding to the crazy over building of summer homes on the island.
Can someone petition the
John FalmouthCan someone petition the Pentagon to bring the F-16s back to Otis? No on whined about the noise a windmill or truck made when we had fighter jets screaming through the sky all day and night
The reason the houses on
deshandra brown mvyThe reason the houses on Woods hole road are cheaper is because they are on a busy road. The people that bought there were well aware of it. This is no different than people who buy a house next to a school (and complain about the kids sports games), next to a hospital (and complain about ambulances), next to a highway (vehicular traffic), airport (airplane noise), train tracks (train horns 24/7) etc etc. Its the reason your house was cheaper than others in the community that are on quiet streets. You made a decision. Live with it or sell. If you think the people of Martha's Vineyard are going to pay more for freight from another port you are delusional. Here's a question for all the Falmouth tree huggers driving their Priuses? Is it ok for boats to burn all that fossil fuel for longer trips to New Bedford because you made a poor decision on where to buy your house?
Why should we allow monied
Dr. Brian von HerzenWhy should we allow monied interests to pit citizen against citizen and discard alternatives that help the citizens of SE Massachusetts? In just the last couple of years, SSA made a dent in the lives of citizens of SE MA, depriving them of sleep at 4:45 in the morning. That did not exist just a few years ago.
A slow freight ferry to New Bedford uses far less fuel than a bunch of trucks driving themselves an hour each way over the Bourne Bridge. When all the costs are considered, there are sustainable solutions that meet the needs of all citizens of SE Massachusetts and circumvent the vinegar monied interests would like to incite.
If Falmouth as a town is that
Ross MV/South ShoreIf Falmouth as a town is that concerned, perhaps they should use their embarkation fee revenue (which is the largest of any town) to pay for the necessary improvements to the New Bedford terminal. Those funds were created to mitigate the traffic impact of operating a port in the respective towns. As I recall, Falmouth receives between $300,000 and $400,000 annually from the embarkation fee. That's money from people passing through to the ferries who are buying fuel, groceries, liquor, coffee, meals etc. All of which develops more economic activity and jobs for Falmouth businesses and residents.
Secondly, in regards to the traffic. I'm pretty sure that the outer cape has bad traffic too, and they don't have a ferry terminal. Falmouth has a very large summer population because it is a destination. It also happens to be on the way to the ferry.
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