BT is hoping to remove a further 15 telephone boxes from locations across the Island, it has been revealed.
In September 2019, Island Echo reported that the telecoms operator was planning to remove 16 public telephones which had less than 300 calls made between them in a 12-month period. Then, in December 2019, it was revealed a further 26 telephone boxes were to be permanently removed. Just 851 calls were made across the 26 locations in a 12-month period.
Now, BT has applied to remove 15 more telephone boxes across Ryde, Bembridge, Shanklin, Ventnor, Newport, Cowes, Yarmouth and Totland. On average, just 76 calls are made from the 15 phone boxes each month. 4 locations are not used at all.
If the plans are approved it means a total of 57 public telephones will have disappeared in the past 2 years alone – hardly surprising given the ease of access for mobile phones nowadays.
Islanders have until 25th June 2021 to comment on the plans by emailing [email protected].
The telephone boxes to be removed in this latest round of cuts include:
• Alum Bay, Totalnd Bay (opposite Royal Needles Hotel)
• The Quay, Yarmouth (near RNLI)
• Solent View Road, Cowes (junction with Lower Church Road)
• Shore Road, Cowes (junction with Woodvale Road)
• High Street, Cowes (junction with Shooters Hill)
• Coronation Avenue, Cowes (junction with Newport Road)
• St James’ Street, Newport (junction with South Street outside McDonalds)
• Undercliff Drive, Ventnor (junction with Seven Sisters Road)
• Bonchurch Village Road, Ventnor (outside Brookside)
• High Street, Shanklin (outside 93)
• Hillway Road, Bembridge (outside Whitecliff Lodge)
• Madeira Road, Seaview (outside former post office)
• Puckpool Hill, Ryde (entrance to Puckpool Park)
• Esplanade, Ryde (outside LA Bowl)
• St Thomas Square, Ryde (outside The Crown)
Good, as many of the calls will be drug deals and other illegal weirdo’s meeting up for rear fun.
Also people use them to urinate in or to smash up to impress other equally dim pals.
The poor ‘little old lady’ could always buy a cheap mobile before ‘that’ excuse for having such is used.
Anyway, what about the ‘big old ladies’ rarely considered.
We then need to end pay as you go vouchers, so all mobiles then are traceable as drug dealers, illegal imm smugglers, terrorists, extremists and other crooks use pay as you go phones as they can’t be traced back to them.
Time to end such now.
Yep, good shout mate, I was going to say the same thing, whilst at it why not confiscate there grey jogging bottoms so they won’t be able to leave there hovels?
Yeah and the mobile coverage is super good NOT! get real people use them in an emergency and that’s what I had to do when I visited Isle of Wight.
Mobile signal was poor across the island.
Stay away then. Only visitors wallets and purses welcome here not their owners
Seems a shame that some of the more isolated ones are going, they could be a lifeline for some. Not everyone has mobile phones. I hope they’re not going to remove any of the iconic red boxes, like the one opposite Ryde Town Hall. I hope that’s not what they mean when they refer to one outside the Crown pub in St Thomas’ Square, I can’t think of a ‘modern’ box outside of the Crown, but maybe there is? I think the country ones look kind of inviting and ‘safe’, though knowing how things are nowadays, they’d probably all be vandalised. I saw one recently in Ryde, no one would be able to use it as the equipment had been totally trashed.
They are only used a public toilets now anyways…..
Sounds like an excellent idea.
That’s 15 less for the snort/swill lowlife scum to smash up then!
The snorters are usually quite well off. Their dealers driving around in big black cars probably with those dark number plates so the ANPR can’t read them, their runners are in places they are not noticeable, front shops etc. Anyone on the crack will be in a multi storey car park and there aren’t too many of them here.
But where will I pee?
Good just a target for tax credit charity paid for teens to ruin.
Most of locals can’t figure them out anyways….all those numbers and tings