Transport chaos hits Largs and Millport on busy weekend

The queue of vehicles waiting to board the ferry to Cumbrae on Saturday afternoon stretched as far back as Charles Street, while on on Sunday CalMac stopped allowing day trippers to travel to the island from 2.15pm amid concerns there wouldn't be enough capacity for them all to return home.

An ongoing industrial dispute with ScotRail staff meant there were only four trains from Glasgow to Largs, and five from Largs to Glasgow, on Sunday, with the last train back to the city leaving before 5pm.

And on top of that, the paddle steamer Waverley was out of action for the whole weekend having been sidelined on Thursday, July 25 for repairs to her forward steam winch.

Independent North Coast councillor Ian Murdoch said: “The ferry queue on Saturday was horrendous. Some motorists were trying to connect with the queue in Fort Street with cars that had been waiting as far back as Charles Street and didn’t realise the situation.

"It caused beeping of horns and arguing. The frustrating thing is that it is the same thing that happens every year.

Traffic queue at 1.15pm on Saturday  (Image: Newsquest)

"I watched a motorhome trying to get into the queue as they hadn’t realised it goes all the way back to Broomfields. The driver said he had followed the signs which instructed him to go that way.

"Somebody should be marshalling the queue and instructing people not to park in the bus stop.

"I saw a McGill's bus had to park at the back of the Toc H Hall in Bath Street as it couldn’t get into its usual space because of the ferry queue. Because he was in the ferry queue, the queue wrapped its way round itself and he became stuck.

"CalMac should be taking more responsibility for their queue as there is a lack of infrastructure to cope and we still do not have drop-off places for visiting tour coaches."

(Image: Newsquest)

"We absolutely need to get on top of this. Tourism is our biggest industry and much more needs to be done to improve the infrastructure as tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, are wanting to come to Largs and Millport every summer.

"We absolutely don’t have the measures in place to accommodate all these people. These are all factors I will be raising with councillors at our next tourism forum."

(Image: Newsquest)

“I don’t understand why the roadworks at the Waterside are back there and a four way set of traffic lights causing so much disruption for locals going about their business and huge disruption to passing traffic and tourists.

"At least with Stagecoach, that is a timetable issue and something that can be looked on and improved upon."

“One good weekend of sunshine is not going to help drag the businesses through the long winter and we must be able to take advantage when the sun shines and allow the area to thrive.

"On the plus side, it was a glorious weekend weather wise and good to see both Largs and Millport so busy. The seafront car park arrangements have been working well since the new pay stations were installed but I will continue to be closely monitoring that and see how that goes.”

Cllr Tom Marshall said: “The roadworks were fine going south but I got caught in it going north and the queue went as far back as The Waterside and I just turned back and went over the back road to West Kilbride which was quicker.

"The wait was more than half an hour. I think it is appalling that the signals are not manually controlled as that would have reduced the traffic queue side on the northbound site considerably.

The long queue of traffic waiting to leave Cumbrae on Sunday evening (Image: Liz Gray/Largs News Photo Club)

“Have CalMac changed their policy? It used to be they would run their ferries beyond 8.30pm until they got everyone off the island and would be running to 11pm in the past on busy days.

"I am quite surprised that it was the last ferry, as you can go on a Western Isles ferry till midnight and we also have the ongoing wait for the MV Loch Shira to return which won’t be until well into August.

"I see no reason why the ferry service can’t run until midnight. Is CalMac run as a public service or for the sake of CalMac and its employees? I can’t see any reason why CalMac can’t keep running ferries later into the evening and staff being paid overtime.

“To only have four trains leaving Largs on Sunday, and finishing at 4.54pm, was appalling and since the trains were nationalised things have only got worse unless the rail workers get their increase.”

The last train leaving Largs on Sunday for Glasgow was 4.54pm (Image: Newsquest)

MSP Kenneth Gibson said: "The transport situation in Largs over the weekend was uniquely challenging.

"A temporary train timetable in place Due to ScotRail industrial dispute with train driver trade union ASLEF. 

"Rest day working and overtime are used to operate timetables on Sundays as that day does not form part of the working week for train drivers. Largs has consequentially suffered a severe reduction in the number of Sunday services to and from Glasgow.

"In terms of ferries, I will check with CalMac but I suspect the issue will be crew rest hours. Seafarers have mandated minimum rest periods over 24 hour and 7-day periods. In previous conversations with CalMac, they have been clear that this is a legal requirement and not something that either they or their crews would be able to waive.

"It’s wonderful that, at the height of summer, so many people want to come and enjoy a day out and about in Largs. 

"However, we need to ensure people know they can reliably get here and back. Between train cancellations due to industrial action, ferries at a capacity and roadworks, this weekend wasn’t an easy one for the travelling public. 

"We need improvements across the board and more co-ordination, so that non-emergency roadworks don’t add to other forms of disruption. This is the busiest time of year for local businesses and disruption should be kept to a minimum."

Commenting following reports of lengthy delays on the Largs-Cumbrae route this afternoon,  Katy Clark, Scottish Labour MSP for West Scotland, said: “The Summer season is vitally important for tourism and trade on the Isle of Cumbrae. I am concerned that many will choose to travel elsewhere if these issues continue.

“The Scottish Government say the islands are “open for business”, but this isn’t credible if visitors aren’t even able to take a day trip. Largs-Cumbrae is one of the busiest routes on the Clyde and Hebrides network, yet ferry users are frequently forced to rely upon vessels which either lack capacity or are well beyond the 30-year operating life expectancy.

“CalMac remains entirely hamstrung by the Scottish Government’s failure to replace the fleet over many years, and yet Cumbrae isn’t even in the running for one of the recently commissioned seven small vessel.

“We are told Cumbrae will instead ‘benefit from a cascade of existing vessels and port works’. That is not good enough. It is past time that this route received the attention and investment it deserves.”
 

A Waverley Excursions spokesperson said: "We known how disappointed customers and loyal supporters will be given several sailings have had to be cancelled. It is hoped that the majority of intending passengers who have been impacted will be able to transfer their tickets to another sailing this year or next.

"The current aim is to have Waverley back in service on Tuesday, July 30 but please check our website for sailing updates."

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “With a temporary timetable currently in operation, and given the particular impact on Sundays, we advised our customers of what to expect, to plan ahead for their journey.

“We’re sorry for the inconvenience this may cause to customers who have their journey impacted by service alterations. We know how frustrating this can be and thank them for their patience.

“We want to resolve the pay dispute with the trade unions and remain fully committed to further discussions.” 

In relation to the roadworks on the A78 at The Waterside, a spokesperson for SP Energy Networks said: "We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the ongoing essential works on the A78, which were planned with Amey to keep any disruption to a minimum.

"The works will continue until the end of this week, with the traffic management – including the manning of the temporary traffic lights between 7am-7pm Monday to Friday – removed for the weekend. The final reinstatement works, including traffic restrictions, will then be carried out between Tuesday 6 and Friday 9 August so the works are completed before the schools return."

[09:24] Calum Corral

Finlay MacRae, Head of Operations, said: “Due to extremely high demand for day returns from both vehicle and foot passengers on Sunday, day trip services were suspended as of 2pm. The service was also busier than usual due to a road race taking place on Cumbrae. If we had continued to sell day tickets, we would not have been able to guarantee enough capacity to transport customers back to the mainland. This decision was not taken lightly but was done to ensure that those already on the island would make it back to Largs on the same day. 

“The two vessels operating on this route do so constantly for 14 hours a day, with later services on a Friday night, which allows us to transport the maximum number of passengers during busy hours. They already operate with additional crew to allow this to happen, and operating for longer would require even more crew. 

“There is increasing demand from tourists wanting to visit Cumbrae and we work closely with local stakeholders to try to balance this with the needs of other customers, such as essential services and islanders. We understand how frustrating it is when passengers must queue at popular times, and we are aware of the issues caused by traffic queueing to board too. As well as encouraging visitors to leave their cars and travel on foot, we are also investigating the possibility of recruiting more staff to marshal traffic.”