More sailings to Western Isles

By Greigg Adams

MSP for the Highlands and Islands Rhoda Grant, is urging the Scottish Government and Cal Mac to look again at ferry capacity and timetables.

It comes after revelations that more camper vans than ever are travelling to and from the Western Isles, Calmac revealed in August that the numbers of camper vans travelling to the Isles had increased this year by 100%.

Mrs Grant said: “There is a real concern about the lack of capacity on all the routes to the Western Isles.

“I have been told of numerous occasions when people living in Stornoway and Castlebay who need to journey to the mainland at short notice and cannot get a car onto the ferry.

“The RET pilot has increased the number of visitors using the service but this has disadvantaged for local people.

“A certain number of vehicle places should be held back for late release in order to allow locals, who rely on ferries to get to the mainland, to be able to access services at short notice for family or work requirements. “

Mrs Grant added: “We’re clearly seeing how popular these particular routes are proving with passengers, and along with the increased number of tourists, it makes sense for the Scottish Government and Cal Mac to look again at their routes and timetables.

“More frequent and better services make sense both for the tourists visiting the isles but also those locals who see the routes as a vital lifeline.”

Local Stornoway resident Mark Ferguson agreed with the MSP, saying: “I travel quite a lot and the ferry has been really busy all summer, which is great for the islands, but not so great if you need to get off with a car at short notice.

“I don’t think we should be putting off people from visiting, but perhaps there could be more sailings, especially in the summer to accommodate the demand.”

He continued: “There was a call, that when the Muirneag is replaced, the new vessel should also take cars and passengers as well as freight, which is a good idea, but in the meantime we also need a solution for locals now.”//

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