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Introduction The Cape Cod Commission Marine Transportation Study, Phase II, has generated a series of strategies, recommendations and actions, some of which are now underway, to expand awareness of ferry services to Provincetown, Cape Cod, as well as opportunities for additional ferry service. This is a natural extension of the Cape Cod 1997 Regional Transportation Plan, as well as the Cape Cod Regional Policy Plan. The Study includes two parts: a comprehensive survey of ferry riders, and the market area (Part One); as well as a strategic action plan which builds on survey results (Part Two). The Study proposes a series of strategies and recommendations that address two identified needs. The first is for enhanced transportation information; and the second is for improved ferry access to Provincetown and Cape Cod. Early Actions During the course of the Study, ferry operators, community representatives, and tourism agencies were fully engaged in structuring the survey instruments, in providing feedback during open meetings, and in making suggestions for changes in the strategic plan outlines. Thus, some early actions have taken place, which have emerged from study participants. These include: redirection of marketing monies into internet advertising (identified as a powerful travel information tool by ferry riders); the initial development of travel packages to Provincetown which include ferry travel components; new Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism links with transportation agencies and ferry operators for the purpose of incorporating ferry information onto the Commonwealth's travel web sites; preliminary design of improved intermodal access to the ferry piers in Boston and in Provincetown; and early discussions about extending shoulder season ferry services to bring passengers to Provincetown festivals — an unrealized market. The Study The Marine Transportation Study, a strategic plan, differs from the Regional Transportation Plan, in its focus on the need for stronger public/private partnerships in providing and coordinating information, marketing, and actual intermodal transportation transfers, connecting ferries with the greater geographic area. All Cape Cod ferry services and regional bus services, other than the Steamship Authority and Regional Transit Authorities, are privately owned, and operated. Cape Cod's independent private ferries have no official public link within the public transportation network of the Commonwealth, and are, therefore, not identified nor integrated by policy or program, other than by map reference. Although private bus lines are more closely integrated with state transportation programs, even more could be done to expand and enhance these connections. Part of the reason the Marine Transportation Study has been commissioned is because transportation and tourism issues are converging in Cape Cod. It is critical to the future of the Cape in dealing with mobility and access that it reach across public and private ownership to acknowledge that privately-owned buses and ferries are central to the solution. Cape Cod has a real asset in its network of private transportation carriers, as well as in its public transit (CCRTA), its paratransit, senior shuttles, and emerging intermodal center. This transit base provides a foundation from which to expand and link ferry service. How to accomplish this is outlined below in proposed strategies. The Cape Cod Ferry Survey, which is integral to this Study, has identified an important finding, which is shaping several Study recommendations. Only 24% of those surveyed, in the initial steps of survey inquiries, knew that there were ferries to Provincetown and Cape Cod. At the conclusion of the survey, and educated to the fact that there are ferries, half of those surveyed expressed interest in taking a ferry to Cape Cod. Recommendations dealing with joint public and private marketing of transportation connections naturally flow from these findings. Thus, the strategic plan for retention and expansion of ferries on and to Provincetown and on Cape Cod is set within the context of the Cape Cod 1997 Regional Transportation Plan, the "blueprint for transportation in Barnstable County into the next millennium." Sets of goals, policies and strategies identified in the Transportation Plan parallel the issues affecting the expansion of ferry service. These have been set forth below as the outline, which shapes the presentation of the recommendations emerging from the issues. Four of the five goals identified in the plan are particularly germane to the Marine Transportation Study: The Right Transportation, Modes and Roads, Travel Smarter, Working Together. The five goals are as follows: Goals for Cape Cod Transportation Cape Cod National Seashore master plan goals also identify the need to expand awareness of Cape Cod facilities, to find some way to attract visitors from their automobiles, and to get together to eliminate overlap in marketing efforts. The National Park calls for collaboration among public and private Cape interests in marketing, and transportation planning and programs. The Study also confirms the Cape Cod National Seashore's identification of the need for improved informational links, and transportation connections. First and foremost, ferry transportation to and from Cape Cod Harbors is rooted in history, using the available right-of-way linking the Cape to other coastal harbors, the sea. From this perspective, "The Right Transportation" is one which makes use of the natural waterways to Cape Cod, provided that this service is accomplished safely, and in a way that is "non-invasive" in congested harbors and waterways. Ferries as such become the "Right Transportation" when viewed in their historic and physical setting. Recommendations based on Survey Findings Based on the comprehensive Survey of ferry passengers and others interviewed in Part One of this project, recommendations have emerged. The findings have indicated a lack of awareness about ferry service to Provincetown, Cape Cod, and a desire for expanded ferry service, and intermodal connections to that service. The recommendations, which are realistic and feasible, emerge from 1999 Survey, results alone, rather than from public policy, financial or political considerations. They are listed here, and keyed to the strategies outlined below: between Boston and Provincetown. sites related to Cape Cod. other Cape locations. Strategies and Recommendations Although the strategies and recommendations, which follow, are specifically targeted towards the expansion of ferry service on and to Provincetown and Cape Cod, they will also support other transportation modes as well. Strategy One: Transportation Alliance In the spirit of the goal of "working together," it is recommended that the Cape Cod Commission convene marketing and transportation agencies of Cape Cod to discuss and act on the findings presented in the Cape Cod Commission Marine Transportation Study Further, it is recommended that the Cape Cod Commission convene a plenary meeting with the Massachusetts Office of Tourism and Trade and the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction to work on the following issues: Strategy Two: Structuring Packages to Provincetown An extension of Strategy One, this marketing strategy flows from the Cape Cod Ferry Survey, where 50 - 61% of those interviewed (telephone survey - intercepts) indicated an interest in ferry packages to Cape Cod. Looking at the shoulder season, which is a target for expanded ferry service, the "structuring packages" strategy is offered as one example of ferry operators, bus operators, and cooperating town, regional and state agencies, working together for mutual gain. The issues include: during the shoulder seasons Strategy Three: Expanding Public Incentives to Increase Ferry Service This development stage mirrors the "Modes and Roads" and "Travel Smarter" goals, of working to encourage substitutes to the automobile through expanded public transit service, and investing in new information technologies. Incentives can range from the simple to the complex, and respond to the following issues: Strategy Four: Expanding Ferry Service, from Incremental to Full-Scale Systems The Cape Cod Regional Transportation Plan identifies several ferry options, as it looks towards the millennium. In this study, it is recommended that several levels of implementation be considered, from the establishment of short-term marketing initiatives, to the consideration of a major ferry system which might be offered as an alternative to a new Cape Cod bridge, or expanded highway corridor. (Small scale actions include public marketing incentives, the establishment of improved directional signage, and the establishment of intelligent transportation program links) (More complex actions include the development of creative lease and institutional scenarios, and exploration of the availability of demonstration subsidies to test the expanded season) (Long term ferry expansion might include the investigation of and establishment of a new ferry service to Barnstable, or of a major high density Cape Cod ferry system as an alternative high-occupancy corridor to the construction of a new Cape Cod bridge, or new lane of Rte. 3 traffic.) Linking Survey Recommendations to Strategies Survey-based recommendations to advertise ferry service, to provide comprehensive information about ferry services in newspaper advertisements, and to enhance Cape Cod web sites with complete ferry information (routes, schedules, fares, locations, intermodal links) complement the strategies calling for transportation alliances, expanding public initiatives, and expanding ferry service (1, 2 and 4). These will go far to expand awareness of the ferry services to Provincetown. The desire for increased ferry and intermodal service is articulated in the following recommendations: investigate the possibility of ferry service to the Mid-Cape; investigate extending the season for ferry service; consider pricing alternatives, particularly for the express boat between Boston and Provincetown; make it easier for people to access the ferry terminal in Boston; and, consider ferry service between Logan Airport and Provincetown, or other Cape locations. Strategies for accomplishing the recommendations include all of the above, to a greater or lesser degree. Transportation alliances, structuring packages, enhanced public incentives, and expanded ferry services will all be key to achieving the goals of the study.