Emergency tree works have been carried out on Middle Road to ensure the safety of motorists as it is revealed a driver crashed into a fallen tree around 30 minutes after members of the public alerted Island Roads to the danger.
As previously reported by Island Echo, emergency services were called to Calbourne Road early yesterday morning (Thursday) when a car collided with a fallen tree. Police, fire and ambulance crews all raced to the scene – between Carisbrooke and Calbourne – after being alerted to the situation shortly after 05:00.
It has been confirmed that Island Roads were first alerted to the potential danger to road users by a member of the public at 04:35 – some 30 minutes before the impact which has resulted in the driver sustaining facial/head injuries. However, the response by Island Roads was within the agreed timeframe as part of the PFI contract.
Middle Road re-opened for a time yesterday morning but was closed again in the afternoon for contractors to carry out emergency inspections. The road has now fully re-opened.
A spokesperson for Island Roads has told Island Echo:
“Island Roads were made aware of this fallen tree this morning. We would like to wish the person involved in this incident a full and speedy recovery.
“We received two reports from members of the public alerting us to the fallen tree, one at 0435 and one at 0505. We also received a call from the Police at 0453.
“On receiving the first report, we immediately called our out of hours duty inspector to attend the location. At 0514 he was on site and arranged both a road closure and a team to take away the fallen tree.
Article continues below this advertisement “We have been back on to inspect whether the fallen tree has affected any others at this location”.
Island Roads reacted within the agreed time frame, which is 3 weeks. Don’t forget all the Health and Safety checks that have to be done first, by a 25 strong team of clowns in Hi Viz, hard hats and goggles, all with an NVQ in clipboard usage and management. First on the list is correct instructions on how to boil a kettle, how to lean on a shovel, and how close 7 “workers” have to idly stand by and watch one person do the work….(PS….USE THE SIDE OF THE SAW WITH ALL THE JAGGED BITS!)
Have you ever done a hard day’s manual work? If not don’t criticise the men and women who do, day in and day out.
Island roads are probably only responsible for clearing the road.
Back in the day the police would have rushed to the scene, blue lights flashing, to manage traffic and ensure that an accident like this did not occur.
Presumably budget cuts have put that kind of essential service outside of their range of duties leaving motorists to fend for themselves.
If only it were the roads that are bad. So are most of the Islands foot paths. Over grown with brambles, thistles, blackthorn and nettles making walking a painful experience for children and those visitors wearing light summer clothing.
The Island’s natural beauty is it’s main attraction for many, and now as the Council have cut back on ‘cutting back’ footpaths and verges the visitors must be shocked at the state of the public paths here now.
Yet funding is ring fenced for adult social care, so the low life offenders and the mentally ill odd balls, will still get taken out for daily trips by a couple of paid for ‘social workers’ to sit smoking whilst some gert oaf rolls around on the grass or won’t get out of the back of a car unless tempted by a cheese burger. When the parent of such should be using THEIR earnings OR disability cash to entertain their handicapped offspring.
The world has become crazy that the minorities, most of whom will never pay into the system are cosseted whilst the normal locals and holiday makers are way down the list in council spending priorities yet are the ones tapped for cash.
It is my understanding that there is a difference in responsibility between public footpaths and those footpaths which are alongside the public highway. In the case of the former, the council is only responsible for the surface on which you walk. The landowner has the responsibility to trim back the foliage to the sides and above. In the case of paths on public highways, then it is Island Roads that takes care of the growth.
Surprised that nobody has questioned the speed of the car. We are all too often guilty of driving in a way that assumes the road round the next bend is clear.