THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 26, 1995 TAG: 9504250111
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Allison T. Williams
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
One stumbling block to building tourism in the county are the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry tolls, Stevens says. In October 1992, the one-way fare for noncommuters crossing the James River jumped from 50 cents to $4.
The year after the tolls were raised, the number of cars traveling into Surry County via ferry dropped from 166,251 in 1992 to 99,837 in 1993, according to Virginia Department of Transportation spokesman Bob Spieldenner. For 1994, that number had climbed back to 130,271, he said.
``Raising the tolls have had a devastating effect on businesses, from restaurants to gas stations,'' Mike Stevens says, including his own - the Surrey House has 20 fewer employees than it did last year.
``And it is directly because of that toll increase,'' he says.
``A lot of people may not realize it, but tourism is economic development. You just don't have to build an industrial park to have it.''
State Del. William K. Barlow of Smithfield introduced a bill in the last General Assembly to lift the tolls from the ferry system. Although the bill sailed through the House of Representatives, it was killed in the state Senate's Finance Committee.
``The bill almost passed this year,'' Barlow says. ``We are certainly going to continue pursuing it.''
Stevens says he believes tourism in Surry County is dependent on removal of the ferry tolls and says he is confident Barlow's persistence will pay off for the county eventually.
``We made major headway getting it through the House and onto the Senate floor,'' Stevens says. ``We haven't given up. We are going to keep going after it until we get results.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Cars line up to board the ``Williamsburg,'' the ferry that runs from
Jamestown to Scotland in Surry County.
KEYWORDS: TOLL FERRY FERRIES WESTERN TIDEWATER by CNB