The proposed weight restriction on Corran Ferry will not go ahead, the spokesman for transport at Highland Council has told The Press and Journal this evening.
Councillor Ken Gowans said the plan on the table, that was due to be decided at a upcoming council meeting, will not be given the green light by the ruling group.
Yesterday, Highland Council said it was planning to bring in a temporary weight 3.5tonne restriction on the 47-year-old ferry.
A spokeswoman said the MV Maid of Glencoul was struggling to meet the demand – while its companion ship the MV Corran is in dry dock, and as a precaution the council said it was introducing a weight limit.
This would have forced anyone with haulage over 3.5tonnes to travel an extra 100miles mainly on single track roads.
The issue was raised in parliament today, by Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcrow Johnston.
Community need hope
He asked transport minister Jenny Gilruth for assurances everything was being done to secure new ferries on the route, and demanded that she pay a visit to the community.
While she agreed to the visit, “a date is yet to be put in the diary”, Mr Halcro Johnston told The Press and Journal after the meeting.
He said: “The community need real hope this will be fixed, and at the moment they are not getting that. I will be pushing for answers.”
He suggested haulage firms were looking at an extra £1,000 a week in time, and fuel, to deliver goods to Ardnamurchan and the Isle of Mull because of the restriction.
But this evening, in what one resident described as a “joke”, Mr Gowans said he was not planning to implement the weight limit afterall.
He said: “The decision to impose a 3.5tonne weight limit was taken by members of Lochaber Emergency Liaison Group on March 2, no elected members we present and no elected members were aware of this until March 7.
“As this decision was made without member approval, after consultation with local members who meet this Monday it is my intention, as chair of economy and infrastructure, to revoke the decision to apply the 3.5tonne weight restriction before it can be implemented, as I feel the impact on the community has not been given due consideration in this instance.
“Communication is key, and in this case it has been sorely lacking!”
Yesterday in a statement, released by Highland Council, Mr Gowans said: “For the safety of the travelling public, the volume of traffic using the ferry must be reduced as soon as possible, which is why from Monday March 20 we will be introducing the temporary weight restriction.
“We realise that the demand for the service will be picking up as we move from winter into spring, and it is unfortunate that due to the difficulty in sourcing necessary parts the MV Corran is not available at present.
Catherine Ann MacDonald, who has campaigned for better services,said: “What a carry on!”
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