Road Equivalent Tariff
Posted: Wednesday, 15 August 2007 |
Comments
The pilot has to take place somewhere and I think that more benefit will be seen on the Ullapool to Stornoway route than on the many ferries in Argyll. As I remember there is only one profit making route for Calmac and i think it is the Claonaraigh (Argyll) to Arran route that runs just in the summer. Having run a b & b business in Argyll for some years, my experience was that most people were passing through on their way north to Oban and Skye for the outer hebs and small islands or to the Inner Hebs via Kennacraig usually having 'done' the Kintyre peninsula having come across from Arran. The pilot makes sense for Lewis and Harris as this is the largest area of population.
shortlegsthesheep from harris
Re winter and empty boats. Do you not think that the RET will have a similar effect to the ADS and we didn't need a pilot for that.
Hyper-Borean from An empty till
The Lochranza (Arran)- Clonaig (Mull of Kintyre) ferry runs more or less hourly in the summer all day and is only reduced to one return journey in the winter. Many people have to use it to take the long way round to Glasgow as the main ferry from Brodick to Ardrossan is full most of the summer and a lot of the time in the winter. I've had to use it often to get to meetings or airport when the Brodick Ferry is fully booked for two or three days or the weather won't let it run. The point of the pilot is to try it out to see if it works. They won't be able to tell for the main Agyll ferrys as despite the rediculous prices these ferries are oversubscribed much of the summer. The route that's been chosen will show the biggest difference in use fastest brining the benefit of a full roll out for all the islands. Then Arran will need another full time ferry for Brodick at least.
Sunny from Exile
Sunny good to hear from you again. You are, again, spot on. The only way a pilot would work when something is fully booked, is to either raise capacity (more crossings?) or raise prices. Lowering prices would have no effect.
CVBruce from CA, USA
Arnish, I can understand your quandry. It is an argument that is as old as time. Should the people directly benefiting from a service pay the entire cost of that service. I think that I would argue in this case, that we suffer governements to share the cost of those things that we can not afford indiviually. I'm sure that some of your tax money ends up in projects that you will never use. I think the roads and highways (including marine highways) are a class of things that we should share the expense.
CVBruce from CA, USA
Yes. I get a bit tired of people who decide not to breed complaining at having to pay for educating children through their taxes. I wouldn't care if we never benefited from RET when we eventually go sooth, as long as it helps keep the islands' hearts beating.
Flying Cat from Orkney Mainland for a while yet
I have been in Lewis since late 2004 and am observing life on this fascinating island from an outsider's perspective. I look out at the lighthouse every day - as it looks out over the island and the sea. 
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