Agenda and minutes

Apologies for Absence were intimated by:

Gordon Ross, Western Ferries

Willie Lynch, , Bute & Cowal Community Council Caucus

Simon Richmond, Caledonian MacBrayne

The minute of the meeting of the Transport Forum 27^th March 2015 was approved as a correct record

A representative from Transport Scotland was not present at the meeting so therefore no update was provided.

The Forum expressed disappointment at the lack of representation by Transport Scotland as several members of the Forum had questions they would have liked to ask.

A representative from Transport Scotland was not present at the meeting so therefore no update was provided.

Actions

The Area Governance Officer will chase up with Transport Scotland what the current position is regarding the VMS signs at Strachur and Lochgoilhead and report back to the Forum.

Verbal update by Argyll Ferries and Western Ferries Representatives

Argyll Ferries

A representative from Argyll Ferries was not present at the meeting, so no update was provided.

Action

It was noted that there is an issue with the toilets at Argyll Ferries being reported as wet and this should be raised with Argyll Ferries at the next meeting.

Western Ferries

Gordon Ross had submitted apologies for the meeting so therefore no update was provided.

Simon Richmond from Caledonian MacBrayne had submitted apologies for the meeting, in his absence a presentation was provided by Caledonian MacBrayne to update the Forum on the proposed closure, timescales and plan of works for the Wemyss Bay service to Bute, and it was noted that Caledonian MacBrayne were happy to answer any questions raised from the presentation..

Actions

1.    Martin Arnold asked when the revised timetable would be available to allow the public transport section time to adjust bus timetables where appropriate.

2.    Fulton McInness asked for timescales regarding the proposed works on the bypass at Gourock.

This item was raised by Willie Lynch, Chair of the Bute & Cowal Community Council Caucus who had submitted apologies for the meeting along with Simon Richmond, Caledonian MacBrayne and therefore this item was not discussed.

The Community Transport Officer provided the Forum with the following Public Transport update:

·         A report had been presented to the Bute and Cowal Area Committee in June proposing changes to the following services:

·         Service 479 Portavadie to Glendaruel – This service was now being supplemented by a local contractor to provide the missing early morning service.

·         Service 480 Hunters Quay was still under consultation looking at the various options available to re-work the service to meet customer demands.

·         Service 489 Toward – A proposed draft timetable was looked at by the Forum which will provide an additional loop of the town centre to pick up passengers before continuing on it’s journey to Toward. Eleanor Stevenson felt this proposed timetable would be welcomed by local residents.

Actions

1.    Martin Arnold to find out dates for the changes to service 489 to start.

2.    Martin Arnold to enquire whether the changes to the Queen’s hall layout will affect service 489’s ability to go through the town.

3.    Martin Arnold to speak to Jonathan Welch regarding the date for works starting on the bus turning circle and feedback to the Forum.

Actions

Verbal update by Public Transport Officer

This item was taken together with item 5 of the minute.

Verbal update by West Coast Motors and Interloch Transport

Alan MacRaild from Interloch Transport addressed a situation which had been highlighted to the Forum involving the Dial-A-Bus and Interloch Transport service to Strachur.

He informed the group that Interloch currently provide a once a week service on a Monday to residents in Strachur.

Alan explained that in light of an issue that was raised regarding dial-a-bus and interloch operating the same service on the same day he consulted with his service users and it was noted that they expressed a desire for the Interloch service to remain on a Monday with a possible additional service on a Friday. Alan agreed to take this idea away and if viable would look to provide an extra service. It was also noted that Interloch Transport operate on bank holidays.

A representative from Dial-A-Bus was not present at the meeting but it was noted by the Forum that the criteria to use the service is quite strict and an issue was also raised in the size of the vehicle used and whether this was suitable for it’s purpose.

The Forum also held a discussion surrounding other routes that Interloch Transport currently provide as well as potential future routes to be considered.

Actions

1.    The Area Governance Officer to find out what the Dial-A-Bus criteria is.

2.    The Community Transport Officer to look at the costs and uptake of the service provided by Dial-A-Bus and feed back to the Forum.

3.    Archie Reid will ask the residents of Strachur whether an extra service on a Friday will be utilised.

Verbal update by Police Scotland representative

The forum were taken through a letter from the Police in response to the overflow parking at Western Ferries which was raised at previous meetings, the following points were noted:

·         Police Scotland have spoken to Western Ferries regarding the issue

·         Local Police have been briefed on the situation and will be vigilant to the possibility of a potential dangerous obstruction.

·         Due to the decriminalisation of parking it is the Local Authorities responsibility to regulate and enforce any situation that may arise.

Police Scotland and Ian McInnes held a discussion regarding road closures on the Rest and Be Thankful and how this affects the residents of Lochgoilhead in terms of access. It was noted that Police Scotland have put measures in place to safeguard this situation reoccurring and BEAR Scotland are currently also looking into the situation.

Actions

The Area Governance Officer will raise the Western Ferries situation with the roads department and specifically the traffic wardens.

A representative from Scottish Fire and Rescue took the Forum through a presentation on the development of Scottish Fire and Rescues Strategic Plan for 2016 – 2019, which included a breakdown of statistics, proposed budget savings and ways of future working.

A discussion took place between the Forum and Martin Hill, Scottish Fire and Rescue with the following points noted:

·         Scottish Fire and Rescue are currently rolling out their Road Safety Summer Strategy, which includes the distribution of information to locally identified hotspots.

·         Scottish Fire and Rescue are continuing to work closely with Police Scotland and Argyll and Bute Council to promote road safety.

·         Scottish Fire and Rescue have secured multi lingual driving leaflets which will be distributed over the summer.

·         It was noted that false alarms are still a major issue.

The Forum noted that despite the hefty cuts that Scottish Fire and Rescue have already been subject to and the cuts that are still to come, Scottish Fire and Rescue provide an excellent frontline service.

Archie Reid raised an issue with the City Link service between Strachur and Oban which was no longer providing a connecting service due to a change in timetable.

Martin Arnold responded that he was not aware of this situation.

.

Action

Martin Arnold will raise this issue with Douglas Blades to see if Public Transport can assist with the situation and feedback any information collated to the Forum.

Friday 18^th September 2015, 10am, Castle House, Dunoon

The next Cowal Transport Forum will be held on Friday 18^th September 2015 at 10am in Castle House, Dunoon