Council warns about making ferry journeys longer
Ferry Online Travel News 23/08/2010
Western Isles’ council says passengers would not welcome longer journeys to and from the mainland.
The Western Isles council is warning that government proposals to cut the carbon footprints of ferries by slowing them down would not be accepted by the people using those vessels. The Scottish government has suggested that having ferries slow down would be a good way to reduce the carbon footprint of crucial links between the mainland and the Western Isles. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, however, says these ferry journeys are already too slow and take too long. Making the sailings longer could create problems for drivers of commercial vehicles. The council’s comments come in draft responses produced to answer questions posed in the Scottish government’s review of ferries.
Councillors who sit on the council’s transport committee were asked consider the responses to a number of questions that are contained in the review. Officials drew up their draft responses after public meetings held on Barra and Benbecula as well as in Stornoway and Tarbert. They have urged caution on the proposal to slow ferries in order to cut carbon emissions. They pointed out that the links to the mainland are already the longest sailings offered by ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne. Making the journeys even longer could cause problems for commercial drivers whose operating hours are limited.
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