Motorists are expressing frustration towards Island Roads and are questioning the logic behind closing both Firestone Copse Road near Havenstreet and The Mall in Brading, simply because motorists are using the roads as roads.
Last week, The Mall in Brading was closed after drivers began using the route to avoid the month-long roadworks on New Road, which have severed access between Ryde and Sandown.
Motorists have been diverting miles around via Brading Downs or St Helens/Bembridge, in both directions, or have simply used The Mall for a 30-second workaround.
But rather than putting in a one-way system or allowing motorists to get on with it, Island Roads has put metal barriers in place to completely prevent people from using The Mall as a cut-through.
Now, in a move that has angered motorists even further, Firestone Copse Road – between Wootton and Havenstreet – has been closed in both directions to prevent motorists from using this legitimate, alternative route to the Elenors Road closure at Quarr.
Local traffic avoiding the one-way closure, which prevents motorists travelling into Ryde from Fishbourne via the main road during Southern Water works, has been using Firestone Copse Road to circumnavigate the roadworks.
But due to the sudden closure of Firestone, which was erected overnight, all traffic is now having to divert via Wootton and Briddlesford Road – and either through the village of Havenstreet or over The Downs to Ashey.
The situation has intensified frustration among motorists, who are struggling to understand how closing roads because they are being used – as roads – can be justified.
These latest closures come against the backdrop of widespread disruption across the Isle of Wight in recent weeks, with numerous routes unavailable simultaneously.
Are you fed up with roadworks on the Isle of Wight? Let us know in the comments below…
UPDATE @ 15:15 – A spokesperson for Island Roads has said:
“Our priority is to maintain a safe road network. Official diversions are put in place to provide an alternative route for all vehicles during road schemes.
“While it is expected that drivers may use local knowledge to find shorter routes, issues arise when increased traffic uses roads that are too narrow or have limited visibility. In such cases, these routes can quickly become unsafe or congested.
“This has occurred on The Mall at Brading with the New Road works, Firestone Copse Road during the Elenors Grove diversion, and on Betty Haunt Lane during the Horsebridge Hill closure. These roads have been closed because they are not suitable for the volume of traffic they were receiving.
“We will of course keep the situation under review and thank road users for their understanding during this busy time on the network”.
When we have the next election I’ll be looking to vote for a councillor who tackles the chaos on our roads. Rather than the current mute incumbents.
NO ONE…not any politician of any political persuasion can combat the hold Island Roads has on our network. The contract runs until 2038 and to breach that contract will cost multi-millions and achieve nothing.
Another 12 years of this sh*t!
Island Roads is the worst thing that ever happened
to the island.
Pre-Isand Roads was so much better,
better workmanship.
Island Roads have all the gear but no idea!
That contract is a massive roadblock, and breaking it before 2038 would just bankrupt the council for absolutely no gain. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but you are 100% right no politician can just wave a magic wand and make Island Roads disappear. As much as we all would love that!
Independent is the only answer to solve local issues,
others are controlled by their party leaders.
No, no independent could either. It’s a contract, signed by people who expected their or their mates shares to grow year on year and still has 12 years left to run! The NEXT time a party wants you all to tick a box which gives them the power to make very large start-up companies a lot of money….find someone else to vote for. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If it says ‘private enterprise’, read ‘a way for somebody somewhere to cream off the top’. Tip: it won’t be you, even if they also promise to ‘fix roads and give you cheaper council tax in the long run’. Ditto healthcare, schools, waste management etc etc etc.
Politically, the phrase you’ll be waiting to hear will be ‘asset hand-back’, ie, NOT FOR PROFIT.
There appears little or no logic to the pattern of the current epidemic of road closures. A full and clear explanation of who holds the responsibility would be very welcome but unlikely. It is interesting that the extra closures seem to happen at night, why not in broad daylight. Perhaps there is a clue there.
I don’t know what fool runs this island but they have a
lot to learn when it comes to road safety etc.
Roll on devolution
There just wankers roads are PUBLIC right of way..
*They’re
Another english teacher, the island is full of them.
The Island seems full of illiterate morons who think they have superior knowledge of traffic management and road safety over the actual experts.
Ok was never any good at school..
I’m sure the council know what they’re doing. Paid enough.And what happens when the boy racers turn up Sunday ??
Only an IDIOT would let such an event take place.
We have road works everywhere yet the numpties can
race around breaking speed limits like numpties do!
I sometimes wonder if Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse is
running the island!
At least it’s going to p*ss down on Sunday, so maybe
for safety reasons it will be called off, but maybe not
because safety does not seem to exist on the island.
It wouldn’t really be a competition if the drivers had to stick at 20 mph
They are getting ready for their Draconian 15 minute cities.
Lol
“At the heart of the PFI project is the comprehensive upgrade – and maintenance over 25 years – of the Island’s road, footway and cycleway network.”
This is the first sentence used to describe the PFI Contract.
Oddly enough, the date of it was 1st April 2013, no doubt a Day when Island residents were taken for Fools and a precursor of the incompetence that was to come for the next 13 years and predictably until it ends in 2038.
This document can be found on the Council website under the heading Highways PFI project.
At paragraph 6 it states “Work began on 1 April 2013 and will see the bulk of the Island’s roads upgraded within the first seven years – known as the core investment period.”
Personally, I take that to mean that most of money will be given to Island “Roads” in the first 7 years and after that the residents can go and piss up a rope, as ably demonstrated by the number off “ROAD CLOSED” signage.
As for holding Councillors to account (Dicky Daniels), you might as well ask Island Roads to align their road closures to correlate with the LEAST inconvenience to road users, instead of the MOST as they have done for 13 years and continue to do. The lights are on, but there is nobody home!
Ye we know that turned out to be a load of bollocks,most roads still not fixed same state as 15/20 plus, Racecourse ?? been done..No, i remember must be 8/10 years ago did some inspection holes covered them up that was it.Ones they did within 2 years were fucked again,Ive seen new pavements freshly done with plants growing out if them.Dodner estate roads fuck me looks like Gaza.what ever they do is shit, Middle road remember 2 years back had to redo the white line even got that wrong.some years you never see them what the fuck they do i don’t know.One big scam.
Money for old rope.
The core investment period lapsed before all the work was done, so naturally the council said stop all payments until you’ve caught up. Unfortunately, it was reminiscent of the cowboy builder who needs you to keep paying him because he already spent the initial money but needs more for materials to finish the job. As it stands now, IR are skint. The only money it currently has coming in are from add-ons to the contract…emergency traffic lights at thousands a set, signage, cutting down trees etc etc.
Ain’t gonna get any better any time soon because they can drag it pout.
That is why they are paying loads of money to many
useless operatives who have no idea what they are doing.
Come back Mountjoy, all is forgiven.
It just puts off filling the potholes.
Barton Road Newport is all potholes.
Every week they come along and fill one, maybe two then within days the filling has gone again.
Need a complete new surface down the middle – and until they do that they will be wasting (our) money.
Sticking plasters do not work.
Island Roads still don’t have a clue what needs doing
to repair roads.
Are they serious? It doesn’t take much common sense to see that making Firestone Copse one-way would resolve the issues being raised. Instead, it feels as though unnecessary complexity is being introduced for motorists.
As the article itself points out, people are simply using the road as a road. It’s also hard to ignore the suggestion that these measures may be a way of avoiding more fundamental responsibilities, such as properly maintaining the road surface and addressing the pothole problem.
The current state of road management on the island reflects a worrying lack of competence. I don’t usually comment on these matters, but this situation is frankly unacceptable. Those responsible for managing Island roads should be held accountable and seriously questioned on their ability to do the job effectively.
It was suggested before this Elenors Grove work commenced that people would logically use Firestone Copse Road as a diversionary route and why not make Firestone Copse Road one way in the direction to Havenstreet to make the traffic flow, as traffic can come from Ryde back through Elenors Grove.
I walked through the Elenors Grove work yesterday and saw very little work being undertaken, just a few holes dug ready to pull the new blue plastic water pipe through the old decaying metal pipes.
If Island Roads response to people using a road as a road is to shut them completely in both directions, people will naturally find alternative routes.
In the world of Island Roads they could then shut these routes too, so eventually the whole island will have all roads closed just because Island Roads doesn’t want us to use roads as roads.
Those at the IWC who are responsible for managing this contract ought to be held accountable. It appears they have no interest in doing their job, and leave IR to do whatever they like. Heads should roll for this.
There’s the problem, assuming they are being managed.
My experience of Island Roads is anything but!
Sheer incompetence yes, management no.
Do the “planners” actually drive?
Well said, with all the extra miles being driven more damage i
is being done to the climate.
Road works should be planned / scheduled.
Instead they choose to close all roads at once.
We are being run by Dumber and Dumber
“These roads have been closed because they are not suitable for the volume of traffic they were receiving.”
This could be said of Whitehouse Road, Little Whitehouse Road, Rolls Hill and Pallance Road.
All these roads are decaying under the wait of traffic. Potholes have been repaired numerous times and within days need further work.
Verges are being driven on by the larger vehicles causing danger for other road users by creating large dips by side of carriageway or mud on the road surface. Trying to avoid potholes, cracks/subsidence in roads or the mud for motorcycles, cycles and cars is very difficult at times.
Legitmate Question (asked before I get that far and have to turn around)
if they have closed off Firestone Copse road “in both directions”
How does one get to Firestone Copse ?
Island roads say you can get bent.
Throw the signs in the hedge and drive through.
Other councils in the UK, have ‘Lane rental’ schemes,.. whereby utility companies are charges up to £3500 per day for road closures.
Why can the IW council not have a similar scheme ??
Perhaps it would have dual benefits.
1. Financially encourage the likes of southern water, to actually get on with the work of replacing the water mains & work 24/7 to get the job done as quickly as possible
2. When Island Roads decide to enforce un-necessary closures like this, they would get penalised for doing so.. (& perhaps the council could claw-back a little of the millions given to IR for their pathetic performance.
Why are Island Roads surprised that we’re all totally fed up? What actually do they expect us to do other than find the least bad route from A to B? If they planned road closures properly, not all at once – and gave us a safe one way system, then we’d all be a lot happier.
Now all the lanes and smaller roads are absolutely wrecked with pot holes as the small roads are struggling to cope.
It could be argued that if IR had surfaced those better, they wouldn’t be falling apart too.
I guess they’ll be closing all of those roads next.
Genuinely, I think my labrador could do a better job of planning things.
So could my Shih Tzu
Yet they are quite happy to send vast amounts of heavy traffic around Thorness way when it suits them to foul up the Newport-Cowes road.
Clearly in the case of Firestone Copse, those affected need to take some direct action.
While we’re on the subject, why are proposed Road Closure Orders not subject to publIcation in advance, with a couple of weeks in which to lodge objections, which MUST be taken into consideration before any such order can even be considered?
It is about time Islanders got money off our road tax. We just haven’t got any roads left to drive on.
Also a reduction in our energy bills.
I am forever charging my EV due to having to
drive more miles due to numpty road works
everywhere.
IRs where cocking up the works so the council called in the contract to hold them to account, IR insisted they hadn’t breached and asked for extension to their current works and to not issue any penalties(this was reported on) council gave in like they do and here we are with a screwed up road network
We used to have 1 MP, the island now has 2 MPs
I am surprised they are not speaking up about all
the roadworks.
They will only come awake election time.
I don’t understand how a private company has the legal right to block roads to drivers who pay to use the highway.? They are service providers. Surely they have no powers legally.
These are the idiots who are responsible for this stupid contract!
David Pugh: He was the Leader of the Isle of Wight Council (Conservative) during the procurement process and when the contract was finalized.
ClIr Edward Giles: He was the Cabinet Member responsible for highways and transport at the time of the signing.
Jay Jayasundara: He was the Isle of Wight Council’s PFI
Programme Director who managed the logistics and bidding process for the council.
Email them. Tell them your thoughts.
TRY NOT STARTING WORK ON SO MANY ROADS AT ONCE AND FINISH ONE ROAD BEFORE YOU START ANOTHER !!!!
Island Roads are causing major problems and the person in charge must still have ink on the back of their hands.
So if they are willing to close roads just because they are deemed unsuitable for the level of traffic, what happens when the constant housebuilding produces ever more traffic and congestion? At what point will they permanently close all the roads on that basis?
I love the Island roads comment “these roads are not suitable for the volume of traffic they are receiving” Ha! Not sure any of our roads are!! The Island is under siege and the lack of coordination is breathtaking. From my conversations with Island roads recently the decisions appear to be being made by committee, by people who have no specific understanding of the roads they are dealing with and other issues already going on in the area, are reactive rather than proactive and are being influenced by one or two people shouting the loudest rather than common sense. They are citing some of the blame on individuals who have accidents causing more problems for them, rather than accepting that the detours, extra travel time and stress involved is a factor in the increase of these events.
What we need is someone taking overall responsibility to make some sensible judgements about what is happening and when. There are so many issues it is now difficult to work out priorities but I would start with a ban on the huge articulated lorries that cannot turn safely on the diversions without crossing the opposite side of the road and mounting pavement’s and having at least one expert resident on the island that knows how to fix broken traffic lights. That at least might lower the accident rate and speed up traffic on affected junctions.