Island Echo always welcome letters to the editor, which may of course not reflect the views of the publication and its staff.
Letter to the editor – 29th September 2022
“I am a daily commuter to and from the Isle of Wight and I use Wightlink’s FastCat at Ryde daily.
“There has always been limited parking at Ryde Pier Head, but now they have dumped about a dozen containers there, plus to the right of where passengers board there is portable cabin for workers, plus they have cordoned off another 10+ parking spaces for people to exit into the car park, resulting in NO parking spaces.
Article continues below this advertisement “They seem to be making life as differcult as possible, firstly running a massively reduced service and the limited ones they run, you simply cant park.
“As a season ticket holder paying over £2,000 to travel and another £1,200 per year to park, yet unable to find a space as due to having containers/portacabins/needless exit points, you can’t park.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous. Today for example I went to board the 13:45 departure, which was late. I had to wait for someone get off the boat to park, then they rushed everyone on board as it was running late and I was unable to board, meaning a 2 hour wait.
“You wonder why people are leaving the Island and the abysmal service just gets worse…”
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Darren Richards
You are not a tree. Move. With the level of service on the island, it’s a no brainer.
Some people have responsibilities here. Elderly parents, children in school, partner’s career and their parents, etc.
Just because you have no ties here doesn’t mean nobody else does.
Your the no brainer
Standards of education continue to be high I see.
Why are you still here?
Who said I was? Only check the island news to validate my choices.
It’s poor and there’s also no point complaining, it won’t get you anywhere.
The ferries are primarily run for tourists with the philosophy ‘there’s always another mug around the corner.’
Various option are available including parking at ryde st johns and taking train, parking at the ice rink and walking up, taking the hover and bus, or moving to the mainland… some sacrifices need to be made if improvements are carried out.
That’s not the point, when you’re a parking season ticket holder and they take away 3/4 of the potential parking options – why should you continue paying a full fee? Understandably season tickets do not guarantee parking, but when I had my parking season ticket for Fishbourne I ended up not renewing due to the number of spaces being taken up by random Wightlink trailers and tow vehicles.
Ha- train will stop going to the pier head at the end of october for track works and you can bet these parking places won’t be available either.
Commuters usually have season tickets, frequently annual ones, so switching to the hover is not an option. There is work starting on the pier which will disrupt the train service starting at the end of October and, as someone else has already pointed out, people have ties which mean they cannot move.
Two points.
You have clearly not checked your information is correct before posting and you have clearly never had the experience of commuting to the mainland.
Wightlink’ , Red funnel Southern Vectis Floating bridge Island line all alleged to be a service,
gone to pot absolutely appalling
And what job do you do? Gobshite
What a ridiculous comment
So the answer is build a tunnel so the island can survive,! Not keep moaning ,
Dear me! So they build a tunnel, which cannot be done due to the seabed composition, if, by some miracle this could be overcome, just think a while as to where the tunnel would come to land, not only on the island side, but in Portsmouth. Use your common sense!
They had parked the work vehicles in the disabled bays on saturday so no one disabled could park in a proper bay,,
I’ admire you for having the courage to drive up the pier,I wouldn’t walk up there,most of the supporting beams are 80% rust or holes ,!!!!
I think it’s terrible.
These works are a waste of money in such economic times.
This money could have been spent on more needed things.
Why can’t you get the train or the bus? Or would you rather the extend the pier to put more car storage?
I would have parked in the blue pedestrian area
Two words…. fixed link.
For you to travel when you want no fixed link needed and if you don’t like it move
Sad but the ferry companies are making this the only option. 20 years ago we could come and go as we pleased. Never had to book tickets. Just rock up at the port, grab a ticket, jump on the boat. Now it’s like organizing d-day landings. And then you can’t be sure your booked boat will sail. We’re just cattle to them.
it would be great too take a poll from every person on island…not a dodgy outcome one from our corrupt council obv…THOSE IN FAVOUR FOR A FIXED LINK…THOSE AGAINST
im all for one as you can’t even get off here most days anyway
it’s all been done before = negative answer to F.L.
The council want the island to be the equivalent of Alcatraz. They have no foresight for the future and just want a so called pretty island with downtrodden towns and villages many of which have residents who love to hoard vehicles and such in their front gardens. No decent jobs or industry to bring in prosperity simply because there is no significant transport to and from the real world.
It’s the foot passengers I feel sorry for. The trains will stop running from the pier head soon for an upgrade of the line. The buses have been moved yards up the road with no effective shelters in wet Wintery conditions. No provision made & they have had plenty of time to plan it in
Key board warriors on here moaning and insulting others all very childish. May be not, that’s an insult to most children.