The Cowes Floating Bridge service between East Cowes and Cowes has once again been suspended.
According to reports, the vessel went out of operation late last night leaving GKN workers stranded on the east side of the River Medina.
The Isle of Wight Council has confirmed this morning (Wednesday) that Floating Bridge No.6 is indeed out of action and a foot passenger launch service is now running across the short stretch of river.
It’s unknown when a normal service will resume.
According to local town councillor Karl Love, the Floating Bridge was scheduled to be taken out of service on Thursday morning for repair work on the west prow. It was anticipated that the service would be suspended for 3 hours.
It has been confirmed this week that legal action by the Isle of Wight Council is underway in respect of Floating Bridge No.6.
UPDATE @ 12:58 – The floating bridge is back up and running but is still expected to stop for scheduled maintenance tomorrow morning.
So the East Cowes economy killer strikes again. Get rid of this national embarrassment and build a swing bridge.
Let’s spend more money on it. Council tax rise here we come
Don’t worry about the cost it will be covered by the revenue from the new parking meters along the seafront from Gurnard to Cowes!
Sink the bloody thing……
The council continues to pour our money down the drain on this heap of shi#.Its like the council keep pissing into the wind.when are they going to learn?
Legal action on behalf of the council tax payer against the council, and its so called management, for continuing waste of public money would be more appropriate. Why do we have to finance this farce?
Croud funding, it is possible….
Only if you know how to spell it
It will still sink..
Or even syink…
Brilliant!
What about a transporter bridge like they have in Middlesborough. Not affected by tides, would hark back to the engineering heritage of East Cowes and could possibly re use the old bridge as the platform. A large sign along the top “Welcome to the Isle of Wight”, would look brilliant.
I’ve been suggesting this for years, even before FB6 was ordered. But you won’t get past closed minds.
It was sold to the Navahoe Indian nation. Saw it on Auf Weidersein Pet.
Only in the programme; and the one in Newport, Wales is still working.
Swing the big crane out over the river. Build a duplicate at East Cowes and hand the chain ferry from them. Instant transporter bridge at minimal cost plus preserving our maritime heritage. Simples!!!
We the Rate Payers should be taking legal action against the IOWC for misuse of public funds, but How would this work?? Who could help?
Crowd funding, money talks…..
Well done you’ve found the w key
You all moan about it but yet do nothing. Do any of you use it? How about getting together and take on the legalities of how the floating bridge came to be. I’m sure that in the interest of the public the council must have a reasonable reason to have bought it and to keep wasting money on it.
We all pay council tax whether we use it or not so we are having our money wasted as well !
Also we are lining there pockets for pensions so why should they worry?????.
And 2 be honest you Don’t get many opportunities to use it because it doesn’t work that often !!!!!!!!.
Marcus, you’re sure the Council have a reasonable reason? If so they’ve kept really quiet about it, apart from blaming “the previous administration”.
Any public enquiry would have to be paid for out of public funds and guess who controls them? I still can’t understand why Solent LEP haven’t demanded their money back, since the “project” has failed on all measures.
So after paying all that bloody money, some of it out of the tax’s we pay for this pile of shit that has never ever ran more than 2 months without an issue, The design was by a Man….. who had no concept of how the river and the banking docks were different certain times of the day, a man who has charged the earth for a pile of shit that has made the Island a laugh…..so is he going to give back some of the money he has been paid, are the council now going to step in and have a rebuild of a ferry that really works or think of a bridge….Come on Bob, do something about it, it made National TV as a joke and it is still not right…..Fcuking crap.
Why are you all so negative? How about congratulating the council for enabling the floating bridge to work for over a month without a breakdown.
This is real progress!!!!
This Floating Bridge sure likes shielding!
Priti will be pleased
NO FINES FOR THE BRIDGE
Shielding is definitely a possibility. It certainly has underlying health issues but hasn’t reached 70 months let alone 70 years
The floating bridge could sure do with a jab
Can someone please just drop off some rope for this waste of money.
Then have the spongers and freeloaders pull it back and forth so the hard workers and tax payers can get about their day.
Speechless pile of junk.
A very apt description of the person/persons responsible for this pile of junk. Those responsible for this pile of garbage should have been sacked on the spot. As someone stated we the council tax payer will finance this utter criminal waste of money.
The council set up the Floating Bridge Users Group, a nominated talking shop, whose purpose was to provide a fig leaf and the appearance of democratic accountability. The IOW public, on the other hand, have no way of influencing the people who are running the show. Perhaps we could get Marcus Rashford to take up the cause. He seems to be the only person politicians take notice of.
If iow council successfully sue, will they use money to compensate the drivers who have had to drive round?