Transport
Policy 2010
The issue of Access is the
most fundamental issue of concern to those
living on islands as it impacts on every
aspect of life. Affordable, frequent, safe
transport services, including sea and air
transport, (and safe piers and airstrips)
are vital to island communities.
The principles of
Affordability, Reliability, Flexibility and
in many cases, Commutability, should be
central to any Island transport policy.
The key Transport Policies
adopted by the SIF include:
-
Passenger fares need to
be affordable in order to avoid becoming
a barrier to accessing mainland
services, employment and other economic
opportunities.
-
Freight charges to and
from the islands should also be
affordable and kept to a minimum so that
users face no higher costs than their
counterparts on the mainland in
exporting or importing goods and
materials.
RET TRIAL
-
SIF welcomes the RET
pilot trial in the Western Isles as well
as Coll and Tiree, as an indication of
this government ‘s commitment to look at
island Ferry and Air travel as an
extension of our national roads
networks.
-
SIF will aim to review
the available performance metrics of the
Trial to see what impact it has on
traffic to each of the islands within
the Trial. SIF will highlight any
adverse impact on islands not included
in the Trial.
-
SIF will campaign for a
proportionate decrease for islands not
included in the RET Trial in terms of
passenger/vehicle fares and freight
charges to and from those islands.
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT FERRY
REVIEW
-
SIF is invited to
participate in the Scottish Government
Ferries Review which is due to report in
Spring 2010 for public consultation. SIF
will continue to participate using this
Transport Policy as a guide.
-
SIF support an optimised
ferry service that minimises the sea
crossing between islands and the
mainland.
INTEGRATED TRANSPORT SYSTEM
-
SIF will pursue an
Integrated Transport Policy with the
aim of achieving service integration
for aeroplanes, trains, buses and
ferries to work together.
-
In case of
disruptions due to weather, there
should be a system in place to allow
a common sense approach to the use
of public transport connecting to
ferries. This system should allow
buses in particular to wait for a
delayed ferry, if they provide the
only connections that can be used by
the public.
QUALITY OF SERVICE PROVISION
-
Quality of service should
be dependant on the service provided to
the ferry users not to a predetermined
set of performance indicators: a ferry
timetable cannot be equated to a train
timetable.
-
In adverse weather
conditions, there should be a degree of
flexibility allowed to deliver a service
to the islands, rather than penalties to
the ferry operator if this entails
changes in the timetable.
-
In awarding contracts to
ferry providers, priority should be give
to the developmental needs of islanders
rather than to the lowest price tender.
These needs include access to
employment, education and essential
services.
-
Parking facilities,
toilets and shelter should be provided
at piers on the mainland which serve the
islands.
-
Management plans for
piers should be developed and
implemented, in consultation with local
communities
-
When considering future
ferry services, an island based ferry
should be the norm.
-
In the current drive to
become more energy efficient, it is
crucial to look at ferries that are
designed to consume less fossil fuel,
and encourage innovative design,
provided safety and reliability are not
compromised.
-
Support the small ferries
concept providing there is no loss of
service during adverse weather
conditions
EMERGENCY ACCESS
Provision must be made for transport in the
case of emergencies, eg ambulance, fire
fighting support, police. For example,
Helicopter pads and helicopter services
should be available on all islands to
accommodate the Air Ambulance Service.
