Airport car park charges raised again
MSP Tavish Scott has again questioned the First Minister on Hial’s decision to push ahead with parking charges at Sumburgh Airport after it was announced last week that the charges would come into force on 1st December.
Highlighting that there had been no consultation, impact assessment or new transport links, he asked Nicola Sturgeon: “What happened to island proofing?”
The First Minister went on to confirm that Hial should carry out proper consultation and island proofing.
After the exchange at First Minister’s Questions, Mr Scott said: “I look forward to Hial and the Scottish government explaining why there has been no consultation, no Islands impact assessment and no new public transport links.
“The government and Hial are treating islanders with contempt. The First Minster accepted my argument today that car parking charges should have been island proofed – in other words, there should have been consultation and a Islands impact assessment – so why have they done nothing?”
Linsey Nisbet
I am really quite aghast at this blatant lack of respect for the very valid case that has been put forward regarding our unique situation in Shetland. What do we have to do to be taken seriously? Vote SNP I expect.
On a recent visit to Orkney, I could see that the parking charge was working well enough at Kirkwall airport. There is a ‘Jet Bus’ which appears to run pretty constantly, ensuring that the longest anyone will have to wait for a bus will be about 20 minutes. This is acceptable, I think, with the airport being less than ten minutes drive away from the town.
Meanwhile, looking into the possibility of my son taking a bus from Sumburgh in December, I discovered that his flight, which arrives at 7.30am, just misses a bus and the next one he can get leaves Sumburgh at 11.50! Over four hours later!
The complete lack of caring and understanding shown by HIAL and the Scottish Government appalls me.
Brian Smith
I don’t think HIAL or the Scottish Government fix the bus times in Shetland, or Orkney.
Bill Adams
Quite right Brian .
It is the responsibility of the SIC and Zetrans to provide public transport links
in the Shetland Islands area.
Linsey Nisbet
Of course not, Brian, but my point is that the lack of a workable bus service for Sumburgh was one of the valid arguments put forward against the introduction of these parking charges. HIAL, and apparently the Scottish government too, have refused to listen. If we could have a decent and workable bus service, travelers would have a choice. We are forced to use our cars because we don’t really have this choice.
Johan Adamson
Who runs/pays for the Kirkwall airport bus?
Linsey Nisbet
The route is one of the Orkney Islands Council bus services, with Stagecoach operating the buses. They run every half hour, except Sundays, when there seems to be a reduced service.
Brian Smith
A bad bus service doesn’t just affect people with cars …
Jim Fraser
A much improved bus service from Lerwick to the airport would certainly help the travellers starting their journey from town, for the rest it could only be regarded as some form of park and ride, with no where to park.
Jim Fraser
Lucy Toteva
In fact, the airport parking charges are reasonable and it is a ubiquitous fact. However, it is unacceptable that the only bus route linking Lerwick and Sumburgh airport is to have a separate flight schedule and rest on Christmas while the airport operates and has arriving and departing flights.
Sheila Tulloch
Lucy you miss the point. Nothing to do with Christmas. The bus ‘to the airport’ is not a dedicated Airport bus service like the rest of the country. It is a service bus for the South mainland of Shetland, which includes a stop at the airport. Hours between… So unless you would like a lengthy wait in most cases and heaven forbid your flight is late & the service bus has left, there is little choice on the matter. In any case, only a third of the population live in Lerwick so a Lerwick/Sumburgh link is even less valuable to the rest… On Sundays there is no bus link to Lerwick, to catch the South Mainland link!
Steven Jarmson
People should just park on the road leading to the airport.
There’s no lines.
They should then walk in groups blocking cars getting to the airport and slowing them down to walking pace.
Its extreme, but if the parking charges were sighted as the reason the SNP would have to give in on this Tory-style stealth-tax.
Or maybe, the SIC should start looking into making Tingwall or Scatsta the main airport for Shetland.