Mull residents slam council’s ‘mayhem’ parking charges
A petition calling for the council to scrap new parking charges by Mull’s ferry terminals to Oban, Iona and Ardnamurchan has gathered 1,600 signatures.
Parking at the car parks at Craignure, Fionnphort’s Columba Centre and Ledaig in Tobermory are due to move from free to pay and display, all year round, Monday to Sunday from 9am to 6pm.
A consultation on Argyll and Bute Council’s proposed Traffic Regulation Order ends on November 16.
By Tuesday this week 1,600 had opposed the plan, signing an online petition called Stop Argyll Council. Neil Morrison, an islander who started the petition, argued: ‘This, in my opinion, is a cash-building exercise and will dramatically affect our island’s economy.
‘It will not only impose extra taxation on residents and visitors, but will cause mayhem in our towns and villages by driving vehicles onto already overcrowded streets.’
Mr Morrison’s fears became a reality in Oban after the council imposed new parking charges last year. This summer The Oban Times reported cars clogging Oban streets had triggered a tirade of rants from residents.
The lack of free parking and long-stay provision is being blamed for tourists and workers leaving their vehicles, often for weeks, wherever they could find an on-street spot.
In Arrochar hillwalkers reacted angrily to a proposed 800 per cent increase in parking charges, from £1 to £9 per day.
One petitioner opposing Mull’s charges said: ‘There doesn’t appear to have been an appropriate or adequate consultation, as these plans have so many implications for residents and visitors that by far outweigh the council’s rationale behind this proposal.’
Another added on the petition webpage: ‘People coming to stay one night or more on Iona will have to keep going back to Fionnphort to top up their parking charges, also adding extra cost for holidaying on Iona.’
Another objector, Ian English, told The Oban Times charging at Ledaig would displace many vehicles on to Main Street, and ‘create unimaginable chaos’ and ‘considerable danger to pedestrians’.
‘Main Street was total chaos during the summer of 2018. It is foolhardy to consider exacerbating this chaos by the imposition of this order, and for no good reason other than to create yet another revenue stream from motorists. It is incredible having witnessed such chaos that no-one has been injured or killed in Tobermory thus far. If this order is imposed, I doubt this will remain the case for long. In Craignure, residents of Mull are required to leave their vehicles there for extended periods to travel to the mainland for appointments, including hospital appointments and admissions.
‘The time of their return can often be outwith their control due to many reasons, including ferry delays and cancellations. Is the council satisfied with the potential of seeing residents return from, say, cancer treatments, or funerals to find a parking ticket?
‘I presume the council is aware that, in Craignure, there are no kerb parking restrictions on either side of the road, along the full stretch from the toilets to the Craignure Inn? I expect to see this stretch of road lined with parked vehicles.’