Taxi and bus tour drivers at a Highland port have called for measures to improve pedestrian safety as thousands of cruise ship passengers arrived in the region.
More than 4,600 people poured in to Invergordon this morning when three cruise liners docked at Invergordon in the Cromarty Firth.
The largest of the liners, Cunard’s Queen Victoria, carries 2,000 passengers. She made her maiden visit to the port and berthed at Admiralty Pier.
German cruise liner Mein Schiff, with 1,900 passengers, docked at Invergordon Service Base.
The smallest vessel, the Marco Polo, is a regular visitor to Invergordon, and was carrying 760 people.
Throughout the day, tourists were taken on various excursions around the region, including Loch Ness and Dunrobin Castle.
But local coach and taxi drivers have highlighted safety concerns about the hoards of passengers crossing the main road adjacent to the port.
Tourists must cross the B817 Shore Road, which runs alongside the gates to each of the three piers, to access the shops and services on Invergordon High Street.
George Bogue, local taxi driver, said: “When the boats are in I would say that something more is required. I would imagine it would have to be a set of traffic lights because if you put in a pelican crossing, traffic would be stopping all the time.”
James Keogh, a driver for Rapson’s coaches, said: “I think they could do with a crossing. Especially when people are coming from different European countries, they can end up looking the wrong way on a busy road. Even a zebra crossing there would probably help.”
But Councillor Maxine Smith, Cromarty Firth, said yesterday that two large signs reading “Beware of Pedestrians Crossing” will be erected within the weeks to ease the problem.
Ms Smith added: “We are not considering a zebra crossing. You would end up with distributor lorries backed up along the road.
“We have looked in previous years at that bit of road but it is a 40mph limit because it is a main distributor road for lorries. The fact that Invergordon is a working port makes it difficult to make it fit for cruise passengers but when we do get these signs up, it should help.
Captain Iain Dunderdale, cruise development manager for Cruise Highlands Ltd, said: “We are used to handling very big ships. The fact that there is three of them today does not really make a difference.
“To see these big ships all together bringing people here from so many countries is just fantastic.”
