THE current Arran hiatus provides an opportunity to rethink how we provide ferry crossings, especially for vehicles, with the aspired-to reduction of 20% in private car mileage, at the same time offering radical reductions in journey times across Scotland, with reductions in costs and carbon footprint.
There is clearly an issue for the approaching council elections, since they influence the Regional Transport Partnerships, and for MSPs, as transport is a retained power for the Scottish Parliament.
Far too often the focus and actual measurement of “traffic” relates to moving the vehicles rather than the people and products. With the arrival of car clubs on Bute, Orkney and on the mainland, plus the access to public bike hire, and Saltire cards now making it easier to jump on a bus or coach for those under 22 or over 60, the pressures to secure a reservation of deck space on a popular sailing are lifted. With the train and fast buses, many in Rothesay now cross as foot passengers and select the required transport when they arrive on the mainland.
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The Lewis-Inverness coach services have done this for years, with a coach waiting at Ullapool rather than taking deck space and incurring costs.
Carrying passengers only has enabled an offer of a roughly two-hour Glasgow-Campbeltown journey instead of a roughly four-hour road-based trip with all the A83 issues.
Based on the 11-mile Red Jet services which take 23-25 minutes for the 11 miles from Cowes to Southampton, the 14-mile Arran crossing would take 30-40 minutes, but with a turnaround time well under the 1h 50m for the vehicle ferry, a service every two hours should be possible.
The 200-300-passenger capacity seems to the a sweet spot for the many fast ferries operating overseas, and on the Solent, and the Forth crossing hovercraft carried 180.
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The two-hour Glasgow-Campbeltown trip, and a 30-40 minute Arran crossing (or better?) can be delivered with Colin Craig’s Kintyre Express 40-knot, 12-passenger enclosed cabin RIBs (made in Co Antrim by Redbay – specialists in fast RIBs). However the limited capacity does make them expensive as a regular ferry but as a quick fix, and a test for slashing journey times and increasing the frequency of crossings this surely might make an innovative (and exciting) day out from Glasgow – say 0645 departure, Brodick by 0830 (for breakfast) and returns well into the evening (possibly as late as 2000 with a walk to Ardrossan South Beach as the last train to Ardrossan Harbour returns empty to Glasgow).
The Red Jet boat could deliver a passenger-only crossing from Newhaven to Burntisland taking 12-15 minutes, potentially for a 30-minute frequency service, radically changing access from cruise liners, and Edinburgh hotels to St Andrews, and noting that despite the inconvenience of the Seafield landing point for the hovercraft service, this was popular for commuters.
This crossing WOULD be possible with a Red Jet boat if one was available, and would certainly be an attractive offer for those crawling round via A90/M90/A92.
So here’s the challenge for BBC, STV or even print media to “test out” this option on a few routes with a 40-knot RIB and see the huge reduction in journey times there for just changing the way we think about travelling, especially on the cusp of May’s local elections. Just as Harrogate’s free Sunday bus services were sponsored, and doubled the number of bus passengers using the services, who might be up for supporting a Brodick-Ardrossan or Burntisland-Newhaven shuttle for a season?
Dave Holladay
Glasgow
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