Virtually the entire road network on the Island is currently being independently surveyed to help decide where future highway improvement investment is most needed.
The survey is being undertaken by Bristol-based experts WDM who have been conducting the annual hi-tech scanner survey for many years. Data is gathered by a series of lasers that are attached to the underside of a specially-modified vehicle which has been surveying all accessible roads for the past 2 weeks.
The road condition information gathered is shared with both Island Roads and the Isle of Wight Council in an industry-standard format allowing the current state of the overall network to be accurately assessed as well as identifying those areas most in need of attention.
The annual survey is a requirement of the Highway PFI contract and is in addition to the ongoing routine inspections carried out by Island Roads’ trained highways staff.
Government data shows the Island’s roads have gone from among the worst in England to becoming the 3rd best condition local authority-managed A roads and joint 1st condition B and C roads, if that is to be believed.
An Island Roads spokesperson has said:
“People may have noticed the distinctive vehicle making its progress across the Island. It surveys all roads it can access – around 90 percent of the network – with the remainder being done by visual inspection.
“The annual survey is an important part of the ongoing work both to understand the condition of the road and to plan the most effective maintenance programme.”
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I don’t think the survey is required to be quite honest, give me a couple of quid and I will tell you where the bl**dy holes are which never get repaired
It would be quicker and cheaper to identify the one or two satisfactory roads then repair the rest properly.
If that is to be believed? Never a truer word said regarding our road state.
Just exactly what are this surveying crowd going to report that most drivers cannot already see? Ask the motorists…you will get pages of it.
But let’s not be hasty, we could get the farm track called the Fairlee Road one day to the condition of Mews Lane?
Priorities, is the normal answer from ‘The Roads’ and we can obviously see where the priorities are!
Oh my god, Fairlee Road… what a nightmare. Keep thinking about buying a monster truck to take the sting out of the bumps, holes and cracks. Maybe one if those Paris Dakar rally cars with the long travel suspension.
Pretty much the whole of the Fairlee Road from Medina school to the Racecourse roundabout is shocking. You just need to drive along it to know that.
You took the words out of my mouth!!
It shakes your car to bits and someone i know got pulled over for suspected drink driving dodging the pots holes along there.
I’ve been abroad for the 1st time in years, the roads are amazing over there
I’m surprised they need any help spotting the cart track which is the A3054 Fairlee Road opposite The Orchard Care Home it is a disgrace.
How Island Roads managed to resurface the sections before and after and left the cart track in-between is beyond me, what were they thinking.
All of the roads in Ryde. Done.
Maybe if people running the road repair companies used a motorcycle they would know very quickly where the bad roads are. Like the ever increasing divot near the top of St Johns Road. Cars miss it, right in the middle of the lane.
This survey is obviously paid to miss the sections that need repairing so as the figures look good, several major roads in Cowes / Northwood area need urgent repairs and most have been ‘Resurfaced’ in recent years, Park Rd, Place Rd, Newport Rd, Mill Hill Rd, Egypt Hill and so the list goes on, in fact not many roads are untouched.
Had the missfortune to be in an ambulance a while ago and had to instruct the driver as to the smoothest route along a main road whilst the medic was trying to insert a cannula!
If the statement about us being the 3rd best for A and first position for B and C roads is true then the north island must have either sunk overnight, suffered multiple devastating nuclear attacks or ripped up all of their roads and replaced them with cart tracks.
Hopefully the results of this survey will be made public so we can all see for ourselves how low the bar must have been set on the mainland to justify those statements being even barely credible.
Parish and Town Councils have been telling Island Roads about their problem areas for years – they just have to listen to residents. No need for an outside/off island firms survey!!
Island Roads employees spend all day in their vehicles overlooking the sea
Eating and reading newspapers
Biggest waste of money the Island have ever spent,
Does anyone at Island Roads check employees work output, from what I have seen
it’s very minimal for the money they are being paid.
Yesterday it took 2 vans and a lorry plus 7 Island roads staff to replace the lamp on top of a lamp post on Ryde Esplanade, 1 female electrician working and 6 men standing gossiping and playing with their mobile phones, no wonder it takes so long to get anything done here.
Reg it is disgusting.
IW Council are too blame.
I detest paying Council Tax to a Council who squander our money away
in such tough economic times.
Island Roads are a joke, they are being paid money for old rope.
Bob Seely needs to act on behalf of us Islanders, every year our
Council Tax goes up, it’s not surprising why!.
I would not trust Island Roads to change a light bulb
yet alone a lamp.
There does not appear to be any management responsible for
operatives output.
There is more action in an Old Peoples Home than Island Roads
A split C ondom is more effective than Island Roads.
The Company is a disgrace, bring back Mountjoy.
Save the money on this survey and spend it on repairing the roads properly. The last time they did it they made a right pigs ear of it.
Are people aware of a handy app called Fix My Street https://www.fixmystreet.com
You basically report a dangerous road, pothole, loose manhole cover, street lighting, etc locally, and the Council and Island Roads get sent this information. You will then get updated on the progress of the repair. Worth a look, and does seem to work well too.
Just used this for 2 big potholes down our road in Cowes, to be fair to them it was quick however the way they’ve filled them we’ll all be contacting them again in the next 4 to 6 weeks to be re-done.
But they never look at it, and the road remains a disgrace
Where is the incentive for roads to last as long as possible?
Anywhere between the Needles and Bembridge point should cover it
Be fair now, the road up Culver Down is wonderful.
The Fairway in Lake is becoming in a very bad state because of the diversion of all the traffic
You need a survey??????????????
You need a company who can lay roads properly?????????
It’s easy to find the problems it’s where island roads have been simple
Easy answer. Every road on the Island. Don’t need a machine for that. All the road’s that have been done are falling apart already.
Our roads are a disgrace.Island Roads management is a disgrace.Our apathetic Council are a disgrace.Is there anything more to say.
Local people are using the road network night and day, we all know where the bad and the good bits are, just get the Bristol-based experts to ask locals, they will get accurate info they can act on… it’s not rocket science!
Its there cheap tarmac only fit for paths not roads try hot rolled asphalt next time
The problem with Island Roads is the Numpties who worked
previously for other Island Companies now work for Island Roads.
The Island needed to bring in a fresh bunch of road operatives, not the
same bunch in different costumes.
It’s no wonder the quality of the Roads are poor, no one knows what
they are doing.
Highways on the Island is poor, they too are imbociles.
It’s the blind leading the blind.
I can only imagine the boss of Island Roads is a
Mr S Wonder.
Ryde, the pothole of tge universe. They shut Great Preston Road, and covered the holes, but left off halfway. If the issue is big lorries, then build them so they’re strong enough, the rest of Europe seems to manage, as well as Northern Ireland, where driving is a dream. That hole in the road website is pretty useless, where do you start from Tesco to Wootton if you make it without swerving into a tree.
There was never a problem like we have now when Tar and Chipping was done.
Who writes these reports, what a load of rubbish, very few roads are up to standard, many have so many potholes you have no choice but to swerve to avoid damaging your car. But someone will pay someone else off to make our roads look good and safe, and that’s criminal
I witnessed a pothole being filled the other day, the operative literally shovelled a bit of tarmac in it and hit it with the back of his shovel, (down Merston lane) how long did the repair last, not even 48 hours