The Isle of Wight Council say that the Cowes Floating Bridge won’t return to service as planned tomorrow (Tuesday).
It was announced earlier this month that the troubled Floating Bridge No.6 would be out of action for a period of 10 days to replace segments on the vessel’s 2 main drive wheels as well as complete noise mitigation measures.
The floating bridge was due to return to service last Friday but whilst undergoing tests an intermittent fault with the prow hydraulics was identified.
The Isle of Wight Council said last Thursday that the service would resume on Tuesday, but in a statement issued this afternoon, it’s been announced that is no longer the case.
An engineer from the shipbuilders is still investigating the issue with the vessel’s hydraulic system and therefore the floating bridge will remain suspended on Tuesday 28th July.
A replacement foot passenger launch will be in operation.
2 years ago Island Echo reported that Wight Shipyard were to sort this thing out and design further improvements
https://www.islandecho.co.uk/floating-bridge-improvements-to-be-designed-by-wight-shipyard/
What happened. Did they look at it and walk away or have those plans become the victim of another IOW Council cock up
Totally unacceptable, chaos on main road past the hospital, road closed for 2 nights and nothing happened, long queues in all directions made worse by the lack of a floating bridge service. Well done local council you have succeeded in bring total chaos to our roads
Seems we pay more, as with everything, yet get a worse service, or none at all.
Perhaps we should all withhold our council tax until the failure of a council are gone.
Protest should be done as iow council had Grant’s ect for everything and we not had a penny out of it
The next one won’t be any better, everything goes back to central government and the cuts they have imposed annually on local councils
Every time it has a refit the same thing happens 10 days was always going to be optimistic . Should have built a bridge when they had land to build one on . Good old council ( joke )
I stand to be corrected, but if I recall, we were told emphatically by our illustrious council representatives that whilst the Magic Roundabout works would be going on that the floating bridge service would be maintained.
I suppose in the literal meaning of the phrase, the service level of the floating bridge has been maintained…
can someone find out the total cost since day one must have been cheaper to build a tunnel or a bridge
10 million
The floating bridge doesn’t exist
The floating bridge doesn’t exist
The floating bridge doesn’t exist
When everyone can think this the problem is solved
I see the government can find a fortune to spend on a study into a bridge to Ireland. How about they stop wasting that money and build a bridge across the medina.
A bridge across the Medina was never an option why because of its height to allow all the yachts with their tall masts to get free travel in and out of the expensive marinas up river money has power
If that so called floating bridge was run by a competent commercial organisation it would be operated properly, or heads would roll. Instead we have a shambles run by by a load of total wallies who like to call themselves the Isle of Wight Council where, of course, failure is awarded by ensuring that you keep your job, paid for by the council tax payer. It is time this whole fiasco was brought to an abrupt halt and get rid of the useless idiots, together with all who are protecting them. The next ferry departs at ……. . Single one-way tickets are available.
I believe it’s time to for one of two things to happen. 1 take the ferry out of service for the foreseeable future and have a company repair, refit or replace the “skip”. 2 for the council to admit that they are incompetent at running anything other than a bath and to sell the floating bridge as an ongoing concern so council tax payers money is no longer wasted. I personally would happily bid to take over the chain ferry with terms attached for pricing etc.
I think you’d find they would be ‘challenged’ to run a bath.
Probably let it run over!!
Only if they remembered to put the plug in.
So this is the real reason for the council tax rise it’s not really for the fire service is it
Ninth wonder if the Island – Floating Bridge That Works!
Build a bridge, council dont give a dam as us council tax pays for it anyway
Total cock up from start to present, if I had made a mess of my job I would have been sacked, someone must be resposable
why dont they just scrapit its nothing but a floating turrdd it take ages to go across because its shhitt needs a tug to push it against the tide ..tottaly pathetic..the bloody chains try to smash there way through the deck everytime it trys to go across
Idiots of the council keeping it going ,but hey ho they dont care as they can raise council tax and get rewards