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Dirty Bastards!! -Renfrew Ferry-

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 2:01 pm
by peter
So at last the thickies in charge have decided to scrap the Renfrew ferry. This means that the nearest crossing of the river for pedestrians is the loadsa bridges east of the SECC. Unless you are brave enough to venture into the Clyde Tunnel. I cannot believe how stupid and short sighted these people are. They have continually turned thier back on riverside use unless of course its the crappy type of development at Glasgow harbour. Or the waste of money on the Transport museum. If yon was just another industrial "shed" it would have been finished in weeks.
A visit to Braehead for me was a 20 minute walk over the ferry now it's a bus trip through city. BASTARDS!!!!

Re: Dirty Bastards!!

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 2:09 pm
by banjo
backward thinking money obsessed fuckwits.and thats me being subtle towards them.

Re: Dirty Bastards!!

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 2:29 pm
by Dexter St. Clair
HG day out on the cards?

Re: Dirty Bastards!!

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 3:02 pm
by Dave
peter wrote:A visit to Braehead for me was a 20 minute walk over the ferry now it's a bus trip through city. BASTARDS!!!!


Is there a problem with the subway?

Re: Dirty Bastards!!

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 5:01 pm
by yoker brian
Dave wrote:Is there a problem with the subway?


Aye - it dosen't go any where near Braehead from Yoker / Clydebank.

My mother uses the ferry twice a day every day of the week to go from Yoker to my sister's house at Inchinnan via a short bus trip from Renfrew Cross.

Currently
Walk to Ferry, 4 mins, cross clyde 2 mins, walk to renfrew cross 5 mins, bus to inchinnan 10 mins
total daily travel time 42 mins total daily cost £5.20

From end of March
bus from Yoker to Partick 20 mins, subway to govan 3 mins, govan to renfrew x via braehead 20 mins, renfrew x to inchinnan 10 mins
total daily journey time 1h 46 mins - total daily cost £10.40 (not zonecard)

or

bus from Yoker to Thornwood 20 mins, 747 to Renfrew X via Braehead 20 mins Renfrew X to Inchinnan 10 mins
total journey time 1 Hr 40 Mins - total daily cost £6.50

SPT Joining up Journeys - my arse!!

Re: Dirty Bastards!! -Renfrew Ferry-

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 5:50 pm
by Dave
The Erskine Bridge?

Re: Dirty Bastards!!

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 5:57 pm
by Autolycus
banjo wrote:backward thinking money obsessed fuckwits.and thats me being subtle towards them.


Isn't it just another example of the rule of unintended consequences following the council tax freeze?

That said, I suspect this decision will be revisited, overturned and a higher fare imposed to reduce the financial shortfall. An upturn in traffic, albeit it people taking what might be their last chance to ride the ferry, might help.

Re: Dirty Bastards!! -Renfrew Ferry-

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 6:08 pm
by yoker brian
Dave,

The Erskine bridge is fine if you have a car or indeed drive, my mum doesn't nor does my sister and to the best of my knowledge there is no public transport across the bridge either.

It sounds so easy to use the bridge / tunnel but for public transport users those options are limited, unlike the ferry it's so much easier and convenient - no traffic jams to contend with, and it often operates even when the bridge is closed ot high winds or there's been a smash in the tunnel or the approach roads are congested.

Currently the distance travelled is about 2.75 miles each way, via the ferry, compared to 9.6 via the tunnel or 11 via the subway.

There isn't even a direct bus service from the Clydebank / Yoker area to Braehead or Renfrew that she could use.

The fact is the ferrys are no longer DDA compliant (if they ever were) SPT knew this 10 years ago but have done nothing - the ferry isn't advertised all that well, unless you know the area or have prior knowledge of it, you wouldn't know it exists.

Re: Dirty Bastards!! -Renfrew Ferry-

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 6:15 pm
by Dave
I would have thought with so many people using the crossing to get to Erskine area from Yoker/Clydebank the bridge would be worthy of a bus route. Perhaps I'm wrong. I currently rely exclusively on public transport but it's been sometime since I needed to travel this particular route.

I suppose an alternative for those concerned about the crossing being halted an option might be to put a tender in for the route and see if they can operate the franchise themselves. Clearly the public view is that it's a viable route so why not run it and skim a tidy profit to boot.

Re: Dirty Bastards!!

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 7:18 pm
by Autolycus
yoker brian wrote:
Dave wrote:Is there a problem with the subway?


Aye - it dosen't go any where near Braehead from Yoker / Clydebank.

My mother uses the ferry twice a day every day of the week to go from Yoker to my sister's house at Inchinnan via a short bus trip from Renfrew Cross.

Currently
Walk to Ferry, 4 mins, cross clyde 2 mins, walk to renfrew cross 5 mins, bus to inchinnan 10 mins
total daily travel time 42 mins total daily cost £5.20

From end of March
bus from Yoker to Partick 20 mins, subway to govan 3 mins, govan to renfrew x via braehead 20 mins, renfrew x to inchinnan 10 mins
total daily journey time 1h 46 mins - total daily cost £10.40 (not zonecard)

or

bus from Yoker to Thornwood 20 mins, 747 to Renfrew X via Braehead 20 mins Renfrew X to Inchinnan 10 mins
total journey time 1 Hr 40 Mins - total daily cost £6.50

SPT Joining up Journeys - my arse!!


Interesting enough the formula used to calculate ferry fares to the Western Isles is the Road Equivalent Tariff(RET). RET involves setting ferry fares on the basis of the cost of travelling an equivalent distance by road.

Re: Dirty Bastards!! -Renfrew Ferry-

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 7:29 pm
by oldphilosophy
Go to your local elected member and complain!

Re: Dirty Bastards!! -Renfrew Ferry-

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:04 pm
by yoker brian
oldphilosophy wrote:Go to your local elected member and complain!


I have already done so, Councillor/MP/MSP/ and to the leaders of both Renfrewshire, Glasgow, and West Dunbartonshire, I have just finished writing to HRH The Prince of Wales, to see if he will lend his support in his capacity of Baron on Renfrew.

This is a vital transport link, that serves Yoker and Renfrew along with other communities on both sides, and if SPT think they can ride roughshod over the local people then they have another thing coming, this cannot be allowed to happen, there has been no public consultation and no practical alternative has been put forward by SPT.

I agree the subsidy is high, and needs to be looked at, but when they don't include Zonecard passengers in the passenger figures, it only highlights a low usage service, but that's what will happen when the figures are massaged to suit their own ends.

Re: Dirty Bastards!! -Renfrew Ferry-

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:17 pm
by Dave
yoker brian wrote:no practical alternative has been put forward


Try this or this.

Re: Dirty Bastards!! -Renfrew Ferry-

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:17 pm
by hazy
There is a private company already looking into it. Sniff sniff.

Re: Dirty Bastards!! -Renfrew Ferry-

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:54 pm
by yoker brian
Here's a thought - SPT say they cannot afford to maintain subsidy levels on the ferries, high maintenance costs, and the cost to make the vessels DDA compliant is prohibitive, so they are closing it down.

The subway is heavily subsidies the underground, it is also not DDA compliant and is never likely to be,needs massive investment (after years of neglect following the 1977 upgrade, and the 2000 signalling upgrade), it operates on a timetable/service levels that hasn't changed much since it first opened so therefore if they want to save money surely it have been at the top of the list for closure?