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RET's thumbs down

6th March 1982, Page 9
6th March 1982
Page 9
Page 9, 6th March 1982 — RET's thumbs down
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

JEL SUBSIDIES to remote co iswer to their problems than trathclyde Regional Council has cottish affairs committee. rnmunities might prove a better road equivalent tariff for ferries, informed the House of Commons Steve Lockley, from the reon's chief executive's office, ?Id the committee last week at the council is unhappy with ie RET concept (charging the luivalent rate for the same stance on land) as it implies an pen-ended subsidy which light not bring much benefit to ?mote communities.

It said it feared that it would Bnefit short-distance users, and lid that it had not seen any lechanism which could counter is effect, and it believed that )me longer sea crossings might 3ve a higher set of charges Ian they do now, if RET were traduced.

Strathclyde is particularly unvpy about the possibility of a rict RET being used, and would -efer maximum priority to be yen to commercial and indust rial users, followed by residents, and then tourists. However, it recognises that tourists represent business in some places.

Mr Lockley said it also was worried about the possibility of RET-supported short ferry crossings and lorries taking traffic off existing coastal shipping services.. On other routes, he said, there is a danger that ferry operators would not be able to offer promotional cheap rates.

Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive controller of integrated operations Hamish Taylor told the committee that ferry route licensing, as supported by the Freight Transport Association, was unlikely to be a practical proposition.

He said that the long lives of vessels used on Scottish routes demanded licence tenures of several years' duration, and suggested instead that there should be more public accountability demanded of the ferry operators, principally the Scottish Transport Group's Caledonian MacBrayne subsidiary. Mr Taylor said the counc. would prefer some sort of agency agreement to be decided for ferry routes in its territory, and Strathclyde highways and transportation committee chairman John Reid told the committee that he did not accept CalMac's claim that it was impossible to provide separate costings for individual routes.

And Mr Lockley added that the region is "waiting with interest" to see how CalMaa fixes the vehicle rates for its Gourock Dunoon crossing on the Clyde,, following the Government's decision to provide support only for the passenger service (CM, February 27), in view of CalMac's claim that it cannot undertake detailed route costing.


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