In preparation for the introduction of the new marshalling system from Monday, August 16, the site, which is in the top three of CalMac’s busiest traffic marshalling areas, will be cleared from August 1. No car parking will be allowed in the marshalling area from that date and vehicle owners are asked to note that they will have to remove them from WemyssBay marshalling area at that time.

Shirley Fraser, Route Manager on the Upper Clyde, said: “The new arrangements will bring immediate benefits to the vast majority of the 750,000 passengers who use this route annually.  Safety will be improved by clearer signage and segregation of pedestrians and vehicles.  The new lanes will improve access for large commercial vehicles and coaches and will allocate special lanes for disabled cars and priority vehicles such as ambulances waiting to board the ferry.  In addition the extra space available will remove the congestion from the single entrance point and improve the operational efficiency of the marshalling area. There will also be better facilities for passengers’ interchange, including a marked drop-off and pick-up point which we have not had before. Perhaps the most practical benefit, to people whose mobility may be impaired in particular, is the facility to buy most of our ticket types from vehicles through our mobile ticket machines.”

Traffic congestion at WemyssBay is currently a chronic problem for CalMac at the ferry terminal. It is therefore imperative, given the limitations on space at the marshalling area which has as its boundary the sea, the main road and the railway station, that car parking is removed from the marshalling area to enable the company to re-align the area.  A new vessel serving the Wemyss Bay-Rothesay route is scheduled to join the CalMac fleet next year, carrying 50% more vehicles than the Streakers currently in operation.  To meet this expected increased demand, the company requires a marshalling area capable of accommodating more than 50 cars or a mix of cars and commercial vehicles up to the capacity of the new vessel. 

Shirley Fraser added: “It is acknowledged that some people will be inconvenienced by the removal of car parking. However, there is commercial parking available locally and CalMac does not have the resources to build parking areas. We need the improvements at WemyssBay now to cope with demand as it is. Without the additional capacity to assemble vehicles prior to boarding the ferry, there could at peak times be an overspill leading to queuing on the main road and such a situation is unacceptable in operational and public safety terms.” 

CalMac is continuing dialogue with the appropriate authorities such as Network Rail, ScotRail and SPT, regarding improvements to the taxi and bus stances and congestion in the vicinity of the WemyssBay terminal particularly on the A78 trunk road.  The Company is also in correspondence with Messrs Amey, acting for Scottish Trunk Roads, who are proposing to install a PUFFIN crossing across the A78.  The crossing is due to be installed this summer.

Shirley Fraser said: “Our customers should be assured that we do not seek to restrict the car parking at Wemyss bay without reason.  The site is extremely restricted and our primary consideration is the provision of a safe and efficient ferry service for commuters and visitors alike, and for the inevitable mix of pedestrians, cars and commercial vehicles which we carry daily.  Should the local authority or any other body with responsibility for the provision of public car parking seek to provide parking facilities near the ferry terminal we would be pleased to co-operate wherever possible. It is simply not within our gift nor do we have the resources as a ferry operator in receipt of deficit grant funding, to provide this.”

ends

For further information on the contents of this News Release, please contact Hugh Dan MacLennan, Head of Communication and Customer Services, Caledonian MacBrayne.   Tel: 0776 435 4021; e-mail hugh.maclennan@calmac.co.uk.

Issued:   Tuesday, July 13, 2004  : Mid-day