To the editor:

What does it mean to be Bainbridge Island?

I ask this as an off-islander in the context of your July 13 elimination of four-hour parking at Waterfront Park (Brien Drive). That parking was a lifeline for 40 years for seniors like me, allowing me to get lifesaving medical treatments in Seattle. Now, I can’t.

So what is it you stand for, or believe in? Do you see the Washington state ferries as your private property? Your decision-makers told me it is “Bainbridge policy” not to allow short day-trips to Seattle. This implies you feel no obligation as a transportation gateway to represent the broader public interest. Is this who you truly are? Is Bainbridge a one-way mirror?

This July 13 change to two-hour parking was made without public notice or participation. Is this the Bainbridge way? Who are you?

MARTIN P. HAYES

Indianola