By Lynda Myer
According to the Transport Scotland document that was published in previous week, tunnels linking Scotland’s Western Isles, Mull and the mainland are among suggestions for this project.
While currently the islands are served by ferries, in its Islands Connectivity Plan, Transport Scotland says a previous review identified fixed links could improve reliability, connectivity, capacity and travel times, and allow for the wider reconfiguration of ferry services.
The paper proposes further work to look at three potential links to replace current ferry services for:
- Sound of Harris – linking the Uists and Harris/Lewis
- Sound of Barra – linking Barra and the Uists
- Mull and the Scottish mainland
Also due to the fixed links,some island communities were concerned that about a loss of island identity, increased road traffic and subsequent environmental impact and a reduction in local services because of the connection being both on and off the island.
“Due consideration will be given to bridges, tunnels and causeways before selecting the most suitable option for each of these routes. The focus will be on providing a resilient connection for our island communities who wish to be connected,” the organisation says in the document.
Beside that the Islands Connectivity Plan is now open for public consultation, in the Shetland islands, two community groups are campaigning for tunnels to connect the islands of Unst and Yell to mainland Shetland, routes currently served by ferries.
