Readers’ opinion – week 05, 2025
An examination of integrated public transport
Sir,
Now that the Glen Sannox is in service, when can we expect the bus timetable to be recast to connect with her sailings?
I downloaded the Arran bus timetable from Stagecoach and tabulated the times for the three main routes along with the new ferry arrival and departure times. The result was not a pretty sight!
Allowing a minimum of 20 minutes between bus and boat, on Monday-Saturday it appears that only for the 8.40am departure will all three buses arrive less than an hour before the boat sails. For the 1pm, passengers must arrive two hours, 20 minutes early and for the 5.20pm, between one hour and five and one hour and 16 minutes.
For those arriving on the island, again allowing 20 minutes between the ferry arriving and boarding the bus, the times for the 7:45am arrival, one bus leaves exactly 20 minutes later, but the other two don’t leave for 55 minutes and three hours and 10 minutes. For the 12.05pm arrival, the gap varies from 35 minutes to one hour, 35 minutes and for the 4.25pm boat, the bus departure times are respectively 20 minutes, 50 minutes and two hours 45 minutes. The situation with the 8.45am arrival on a Saturday is much simpler; none of the three main routes leave after the boat berths; ditto to take passengers to the first boat on a Sunday at 10.30am. In fact the shortest gap, whether leaving or arriving on a Sunday, is 50 minutes.
Even adding Alfred to the mix, the situation is not much better. No buses get to Brodick in time for the first departure of the day at 7.30am, nor for the last one at 7.15pm (8.25 on a Sunday). Passengers disembarking from the 10.30am arrival have 25 minutes to catch the buses, and 20 minutes from the 4.05pm arrival on Sunday. There are 45 minutes between the buses arriving and the 11.25am sailing, but gaps of one hour 11 minutes, two hours, 16 minutes and two hours, 27 minutes before the 3.45 departure. On a Sunday the buses arrive two hours before the 12.40pm and between 42 and 52 minutes prior to the 5pm.
Assuming those times are correct, then there is likely to be increased trade in the tea-shops of Brodick and also for any taxi-drivers there may be on the island. However this unsatisfactory state of affairs resulting in significantly longer journey times is likely to push erstwhile foot passengers into cars and once they have become used to the convenience of a private vehicle, they are unlikely to return to the challenges of being a foot-passenger.
Admittedly this situation should only last until the middle of March when the Caledonian Isles should be back, sailing from Ardrossan, and if on her old roster then the existing timetable will work as it did before throughout the summer. However, once Glen Rosa arrives supposedly in September, then the Caley Isles will be sent elsewhere and all sailings will once again be from Troon for the foreseeable future. One would have thought that CalMac and Stagecoach would have been ready for the new times weeks before they began and thus able to seamlessly adjust so that Arran can retain its integrated public transport.
Yours,
Jane Ann Liston,
St Andrews.
Thank you from Bernie
Sir,
Could i please use your columns to say a heartfelt thanks to the care nurses who looked after my wife Maureen without complaint over the last six years - nothing was to much for them – and also the district nurses that treated her for the last 10 months. We are very lucky to have wonderful nurses at the hospital. The care that Maureen received while in the hospital and the work of the doctors was exceptional.
Also a big thank you to Clair and David Hendry for the funeral arrangements and to Fiona for the service. Thanks to my family for taking care of me and all the friends and neighbours for all the kind messages. Once again thank you.
Yours,
Bernie Jackson,
Whiting Bay.
Parliament backs justice for WASPI women
Sir,
I was disappointed to read the ill-informed contribution from Mr Nigel Armstrong, Whiting Bay, regarding Woman Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI).
He misrepresents both them and their claim for justice. At no time have WASPI women argued for a reduction in the age at which they receive their pension. It was the lack of notice of this change that they found so harmful.
Mr Armstrong suggests that the Scottish Parliament meets the costs of delivering any compensation for WASPI women. Not only were such decisions taken by Westminster, the Scotland Act 2016, specifically rules out any involvement of the Scottish Parliament in all matters relating to pensions.
If he had viewed or read my speech in the Scottish Parliament on 15 January (tinyurl.com/34zsw3s2) before pontificating on the matter, Mr Armstrong would be better informed.
I am heartened that a further debate was held at Holyrood on January 21, following which the Parliament’s MSPs across all six political parties unanimously agreed:
That the Parliament calls on the UK Government to compensate WASPI women as recommended by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
This message has been conveyed directly to the UK Government in support of justice for WASPI women. They have waited long enough.
Yours,
Kenneth Gibson MSP.
The benefits of hedges
Sir,
It is interesting now that the recent storm is past, to see how effective hedges are and can be. They are very underrated normally and people seem to take them for granted or grub them out as being a nuisance.
However looking around after this latest storm, there is a very real and serious lesson to be learned. Where sheds and buildings and other property are behind - ie downwind of - hedges there is significantly less damage to those buildings and property. Most of the time we don’t see hedges as much more than a nuisance but they do have a very real value when the wind gets up.
Look around and see for yourself.
Yours,
Rory Cowan,
Kildonan.
Efficiency during a time of need
Sir,
Can I congratulate Lamlash Council in clearing the obstruction very quickly when a tree came down at Newton Shore.
I contacted them in the late afternoon on the day of the storm on Friday January 24. They came out around 8pm when the weather had abated slightly.
With the use of powerful lighting they soon had the road cleared
It is heartening to know that such an efficient team are available during our time of need.
Yours,
Alan Mitchell,
Lochranza.
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