North Quay car park could be used as cruise ship drop off

It comes after the shuttle service from Portland Port came under fire from residents of Newton’s Road and Spring Road due to the disruption that the service causes

Spring Road (Image: Jenny Rains)

 At present, visitors to Weymouth that are getting off cruise ships are dropped on Spring Road, just behind Brewers Quay.

As reported by the Echo, residents have described the situation as ‘chaos,’ ‘ludicrous’ and ‘like hell’ on multiple occasions.

A resident living on a street used to transport cruise ship passengers say the situation is still 'chaos' in the residential roads (Image: Jenny Rains)

Many have also suggested that the North Quay car park would be a much better location.

Dorset Council have since revealed that they have proposed to the port that they could use the site of the former council offices as the main drop off and pick up point.

A Dorset Council spokesperson said: “We have proposed to Portland Port that their cruise ship coaches use North Quay car park as the main collection and drop off point.

“This would provide a more appropriate waiting area for their passengers and offers a solution for the residents of Rodwell.

“If this proposal is taken forward, we will monitor how it works over the summer and will review once the season has ended.”

Last week, the Echo reported that residents who were fed up with cruise ship shuttle buses outside their homes were demanding answers from authorities in the form of a Freedom of Information Request (FOI) ahead of the new season.

They have used FOI requests to ask for a confirmation of the number of fines issued to the port for buses parking on double yellow lines, as well as requesting letters, communications and minutes of meetings to and with the Port regarding what residents claim is ‘illegal parking.’

North Quay car park (Image: NQ)

A spokesperson for Portland Port said: “We have reviewed a number of potential sites in the area and continue to consider all options.

“We remain in discussions with Dorset Council but we are not in position to give further details at this time.

“Discussions with the council have been ongoing since we first started growing our cruise business.

“All aspects of the shuttle bus service have been reviewed; including timings, locations, logistics, costs, congestion, as well as what the implications would be for each alternative site.

“We recognise that we don’t operate in a vacuum and genuinely remain committed to identifying workable solutions to ensure our shuttle bus service runs in the best way possible.

“We have contracted a professional traffic management company for all cruise calls, which includes the provision of traffic marshals. We have also worked with the bus operator to stagger the arrival of vehicles and limit the number on the road at any one time.

“Each year we make road space bookings with Dorset Council for the route shuttle buses take for every cruise call.

“At an early-stage Spring Road was considered the best location for access, bus travel times and timetables, traffic congestion and first impressions for visitors. This decision has subsequently been regularly reviewed with Dorset Council.

“Numerous alternative options have been considered. Some are unworkable due to timings and logistics, others due to traffic flows and potential congestion issues.”

North Quay car park (Image: NQ)