Residents living in and around the village of Brighstone have responded to a Parish Council survey about next year’s Isle of Wight Road Races motorcycle event, with the majority voting against the idea.
Brighstone Parish Council recently carried out a survey to gauge the opinion of local residents ahead of next April’s race, which will pass through Brighstone.
878 survey forms were delivered to every household in the area asking for the number of people in each household who were either for to against the event. A total of 499 surveys (56%) were returned, the results of which showed 333 people (31%) in favour but 737 against (68%).
The major motorcycle race will follow a 12.4-mile course through the villages of Chale, Shorwell and Brighstone before a 200mph blast down Military Road. Isle of Wight Road Races (IWRR) will be an elite level motorcycle racing spectacle that will attract many of the sports top riders and teams – as well as floods of spectators.
Next year’s event is planned to be a showcase for British motorsport, as well as a proving ground for sustainable biofuels. The event, organised by ACU Events Ltd and managed by APL Events, will be based around a paddock and race village on land at Atherfield.
Brighstone Parish Council will be holding their own meeting with the race organisers to ask questions which have been forwarded by local residents in correspondence received.
Each year the Isle of Man sees a boost of over £30million into the local economy as a result of motorcycle racing, with 60,000 visitors spending over £44million which supports some 815 jobs. It is hoped that at least some of that success can be replicated here on the Isle of Wight in an event that could, in years to come, be as important to the Island as the likes of the Isle of Wight Festival and Cowes Week.
retired overners no doubt!
This doesn’t appear to be a popular view but I suspect you are right! There are a lot of overners who retire here who seem to forget what it was to be young. Plus the Island needs these sort of events and the disruption is short lived. Unless you are born here its rare to understand this, but this is what the Island is all about. Don’t misunderstand me, I am a retired Islander who hates the pop festival & Smallbrook speedway noise. If I had it my way I’d ban them both, but I tolerate them because I realise Island life is more than just my needs. Its time for Brighstone residents to realise the same!
there was no way the predominantly elderly residents were going to approve of such a racket and disruption through their sleepy hollow. Anything that moves faster than a pedestrian and makes more noise than a deathly silence, is a no no, in such towns.
They should approve the race, it will allow the residents to feast on the opportunity to complain, moan and whinge
here here .100%correct
those gimmers are the thumbs down on this article.preductable or what.
moves with the times fgs.
Moving with the times means reducing global warming before it gets out of control. You are probably much younger than me and will be far more impacted !
The event will cause unnecessary exhaust pollution in the area, and all the visitors to the event will have a big adverse effect by travelling here for this event
Noise pollution too will be created in the area.
I guess us oldies are moving with the times in a more reasoned way than you are ! You need to consider the future of the planet NOW. Cutting carbon emissions is not an option.
pah – it is you oldies that have caused all this pollution in the first place, whilst you were younger – we are picking up the pieces and suffering the consequences of your ignorance, arrogance and throwaway attitude.
Are you saying you’re young? Going by the rest of your posts, I always thought you were someone much older. How many people using that name are there on here? I’m sure there’s more than one.
Yep .suck it up buttercup, we had a great time .couldn’t give a toss about you snowflakes .
Very good post Jon and how true. Relief for most villagers on the proposed route. Well done Brighstone. Shorwell, Kingston and Chale to follow suit?
Absolute nonsense
What complete and utter bollox. It’s a f-in motorbike race, it ain’t China or India or Australia even, with all there fossil fuels power stations. It is baby boomers like yourself that are destroying this island. It is your generation that caused most of the problems anyway !
Let’s hope the residents get listened to and the lure of the brown envelopes is not overpowering.
Don’t worry guys the council, historically, totally ignore the wishes of the electorate. But, are the rest of us allowed to have a vote on banning speeding traffic through the streets of our towns. Surely this should be an Island wide vote ??
What a surprise never thought they would do that
Democracy should win, a handful of gawping slack jawed onlookers, watching idiots risk their lives to the detriment of normal people is no reason to have this here.
Save your tax credits and go to the Isle of Man if you ‘need’ these buzz and leave us alone to enjoy real quality life.
How incredibly rude. I’m a woman who lives in Brighstone, I help run an Island business so am neither ‘slack jawed or an idiot’ and I’m all for the race. No doubt ‘Bay Winner’ you’re simply one of those people who drive like an old woman, 30 mph in a 60 zone, braking for every bend and as soon as there is a slight downhill slope and whenever a vehicle approaches you on the opposite side of the road, and is generally too scared of their car to ever drive above 35 mph. Because you’re dull you want to stop anyone else having any fun. It’s for a few days, get over it!
yes – i suspect bay winner is a bitter and jealous oldie, who resents anyone young having fun, because he/she cannot anymore
What an unpleasant and disrespectful post. There was nothing democratic about the biased and poorly composed ballot paper.
Yes Victor, ballot was biased and also the timing of the meeting which was very much timed for during the day when all the retired nimby’s could attend but no-one who works! I think they extended it for a couple of hours after complaints but by the time I could make it after work, at nearly 7PM, it was too late in the day. There was no-one who could be bothered to engage with me, just a lot of ‘Beardies’ sat around tables.
I shall enjoy the races in the comfort of knowing that you will be stressing out and throwing your toys out of your chariot, while sucking the welfare system for all you can get. Enjoy your pathetic miserable life. ttfn
Blimey it’s only over a day or a weekend we need this race to go ahead , the Isle of Wight Council can issue free ear plugs !!
Thats right. Ban EVERYTHING. The usual retired fun suckers. The island NEEDS this income, its dying…….
And yes it does affect me, and yes I am in favour.
As it was obviously such a biased survey and the parish council had already made clear in the press & social media what they wanted as a result, as a ‘voter’ I have some questions:
Who independently scrutinised the “votes” delivered into an unsecured, old wine box, in a public area of a shop, not a secure, sealed ballot box? Who was eligible to vote?
How was the accuracy of number of “votes” per household determined?
Who actually counted and determined the result?
The most bizarre survey/ballot I’ve ever been involved in as a voter.
You’re clearly not or ever shall be a NIMBY then?
It’s along time since I had to do any serious maths, and I recognise that statistics is all about presentation, but:
33% of 499 is 165, not 333 and
68% of 499 is 339 not 737.
Perhaps the survey allowed multiple responses in a household and co-incidentally every household held two respondents?
Whatever, presentation in this way does nothing for the survey’s credibility.
All the whinging and moaning reminds me of the tearful remoaners. Keep going until you get a vote you like the sound of.
Won’t make any difference, it ain’t going to change the result…
There are some great electric motor cycles on the market why don’t the island take the lead and in courage them to race here i am a great m/c fan if we are going to save this beautiful planet for future generations we’ve got to start somewhere
Name one.
Other than the Mugen that was the only serious competitor in the IOM TT Zero races in the last 8 years.
I would love to have a high performance electric bike ,and see such race, but the major manufacturers just don’t seem interested sadly.