Water transport could be the ticket on Loch Linnhe
Born and raised in France, Councillor Sarah Fanet delivers her case for introducing water buses to Loch Linnhe.
I would like to start this article with a short trip to Provence, in the beautiful Mediterranean city of Toulon.
Toulon and its surrounding communes are built around several bays. Motorists have to drive a long way around the water to move from one part of the city to another.
I was recently speaking to my cousin who has been a local resident there most of her life. She was telling me about her student days in the 1990s and how she commuted to college by boat every day.
Water buses are part of a network known as Réseaux Mistral and have the same status as the other buses on land and operate the same fare.
The big bay has four pontoons in Toulon and three in La Seyne (a little town across the bay) and each of those pontoons is treated like a bus stop.
It is a part of daily life to commute and work in the city or to travel to the small town at the weekend to spend family time on the big beach. Whether you are a local or a visitor, the major bonus of this network is that you do not have to wait, stuck in traffic jams. On Loch Linnhe, we should seriously consider a similar model for people to be able to commute to Fort William without necessarily using the car or the A82.
Since the breakdown of the Maid of Glencoul in April, many residents on the peninsula have used the foot passenger service run by Highland Ferries between Camusnagaul and Fort William, combined with a shuttle operating from Strontian.
A few weeks ago, an Ardgour constituent spoke to me about her experience of the service.
“The later sailings meant that I could easily bring my kids to Three Wise Monkeys for climbing, or the swimming pool for their lessons with the added bonus that it was quicker and more convenient than driving round the loch,” they said.
“It was a great experience to be using public transport and not being so dependent on a car for every journey and it was greener too.”
Another Ardgour resident insists such additional services are needed in the long-term in addition to the crossing service at the Corran Narrows in order to provide alternatives and sustainable ways of travelling for both commuters and visitors who may want to visit the peninsula on their bikes.
This is why, when the Maid of Glencoul was back, I intervened after being contacted by the community and asked Highland Council to continue the foot passenger service at least until MV Corran is back to alleviate the pressure on the Corran crossing. It is also an opportunity to explore other ways of travelling to Fort William.
I have always been of the view that we must reconnect with the way our ancestors travelled locally in this part of Scotland, by using the most obvious road which is the water of the loch.
We have a marina in Corpach and pontoons in Fort William.
Rather than drive the congested A830 and A82, the people of Corpach and Coal could be in Fort William within a few minutes by waterbus and enjoy their shopping or cinema trip without having to worry about parking their car.
Imagine life on the peninsula if you know there is a water taxi that will bring you home in the evening after the film at the Highland Cinema or an event at the Nevis Centre.
Many of our communities were built and designed to be reached by sea. We need to reconnect with the water of the loch as a way of moving around every day. Buses, whether they operate on land or on the loch should be given the same status.
We must start discussions about alternative travel plans in Lochaber and how we could move closer to the commuting model of Toulon.
It is important that we continue to use the Highland Ferry service and the shuttle in the next few weeks to send a strong message that the demand is there.
For more information about Réseaux Mistral visit www. reseaumistral.com.