A councillor is demanding a firm timetable for long-awaited safety improvements at Vittlefields Junction, more than 7 years after a fatal crash prompted calls for action.
The junction, where the A3054 Yarmouth Road meets Betty Haunt Lane and Vittlefields Road near Thorley in the West Wight, is once again on the Isle of Wight Council’s agenda, with proposals due to be considered by the Transport Committee on Thursday.
Conservative Group Leader Councillor Ed Blake has welcomed the latest movement but says residents need assurances that the scheme will now be delivered without further delay.
Around 7,000 people signed a petition calling for improvements at Vittlefields following the fatal collision in 2019.
More than 5 years have also passed since the Isle of Wight Coroner called on the council to take action to prevent further loss of life at the junction. Councillor Matt Price has repeatedly pushed for those recommendations to be acted upon.
Ahead of Thursday’s meeting, Cllr Blake said:
“Everyone will welcome any genuine progress at Vittlefields, but people have heard promises before and they understandably want to know when these improvements will actually be delivered.
Article continues below this advertisement “The council has repeatedly struggled to bring forward infrastructure projects in a timely manner, and that history raises legitimate questions about whether this scheme will now be prioritised and completed without further delay.”
Cllr Blake says previous delays to highways schemes across the Island give residents reason to seek greater certainty.
He points to the Prison Estate roads, where major improvements have yet to materialise more than 5 years after the council received over £6million to take responsibility for the network, as well as the prolonged closure of Bath Road and ongoing issues at Southgrove Road.
The Conservative councillor has also highlighted the lack of a permanent solution for the A3055 at Undercliff Drive, more than a decade after its failure, and the continuing uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of Military Road.
Meanwhile, work on the A3056 safety scheme has now begun, but more than 3 years after funding for the project was awarded.
Cllr Blake will use Thursday’s meeting to press the council for a clear timetable for Vittlefields and a commitment that the safety improvements will be treated as a priority.
He added:
“Residents have been waiting years for action and deserve certainty.
“My message to the council is simple: tell the public when this work will be completed and demonstrate that Vittlefields will not become another project lost in years of delay and indecision.”
