A Largs councillor has told the News that his warnings over bus parking have gone unheeded after potential congestion issues in the Main Street on Wednesday afternoon.
Two holiday coaches parked in the local bus services berths in the town centre at lunchtime, causing difficulty for the Stagecoach 585 bus to get parked in the Main Street, which had to park in a narrow area next to The George, rather than in one of the berths near a bus stop.
Last year, independent councillor Ian Murdoch told us that Largs needs dedicated coach drop-off and pick-up facilities to stop buses clogging up the roads.
Changes to Fort Street around the ferry slip removed the previous coach point, with drivers now using other areas to drop off and collect their passengers.
Cllr Murdoch believes the changes have had a negative effect on the ability of coach tours to drop passengers off safely in the town centre.
He explained: “As part of the works on Fort Street, North Ayrshire Council widened the pavement and took away the coach point.
“However, it did this without thinking about where these big buses would go, and now they still park there but on double yellow lines and clogging up the road.
“It is a very dangerous situation that needs to be resolved.
"Simply put - it shouldn't be happening. That's what happens when there is no drop-off/pick-up point or coach park."
“We need a dedicated coach point in the town, where drivers can pick up and drop off safely.
“We took away a perfectly good coach point, and now they are just parking wherever they can find a space.
“If drivers are finding it hard to park here, that can only be having a negative impact on tourism and people wanting to come here.
“We need to get this sorted as soon as possible before it becomes a real problem in the town centre.”
A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “The coach drop-off point was removed as part of the marshalling improvements at the Largs Ferry Terminal to enable the footway to be widened thereby improving access to the Cumbrae Ferry for pedestrians. This consisted of a single space at the ferry terminal.
“The bus stops within Largs can be used by coaches to drop-off and pick up passengers at pre-arranged times. Coaches are not permitted to use these as parking areas. Once drivers have dropped off passengers, they should find a suitable location to park
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