The Isle of Wight Council is planning to make a bid for a project worth around £14million as part of the Government’s next round of Levelling Up funding.
In the first round, the Council secured £5.8million to help rejuvenate East Cowes Esplanade including improvements to the landmark Columbine building — protecting and growing marine jobs.
Now, the authority is gearing up to bid for round 2 funding which is targeted at transport on the Island.
It is putting forward proposals for a ‘green link’ corridor between Ryde and Yarmouth, enabling people to leave their cars at home and enjoy journeys on foot or by bike or bus.
Cabinet members are set to discuss the plans next week ahead of the July deadline.
The proposals can be split into 3 themes:
Ryde – Yarmouth Public Transport Corridor
The plans include improvements to bus infrastructure along the key bus routes between Ryde and Yarmouth. This could include providing accessibility ramps, shelters, and real time information screens.
It will also involve a small number of trial ‘mobility hubs’ to provide space and facilities for switching easily between difficult modes of transport. This could include luggage lockers and hireable e-bikes at bus stops so more visitors and residents can easily enjoy nearby bridleways and cycleways.
West Wight Greenway
Stretching for 13 miles between Freshwater and Newport, the greenway for cyclists and walkers would mainly follow the dismantled railway line and make use of the existing rights of way network.
The route would be designated a ‘linear nature reserve’ and feature stopping areas and interpretation boards. It would also provide an important link to the Gunville Greenway, improving access to the rest of the Island’s cycle network.
Newport Hub and Spokes Scheme
The proposal includes helping to make Newport centre more easily navigable for walkers and cyclists along with extensions and enhancements to established cycle routes such as the new Mews Lane to Newport Harbour route and Gunville Greenway, as well as small-scale infrastructure improvements.
Councillor Julie Jones-Evans, Cabinet member for regeneration and business development, said:
“Through these schemes, we will deliver greater connectivity to the Island’s transport gateways, underlining the Island’s credentials as an environmentally sustainable tourism destination and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
“Improvements to bus services, and the expansion of the Island’s cycleway and Right of Way network, would also help reduce the number of commuter and school trips by car by introducing more sustainable low-cost alternatives.”
This is good news if your a cyclist like me.Everywhere is a cycle lane,pavements,parks, pedestrian precinct,no entry roads riding towards on coming traffic,ETC.You can do and ride were you like with a bike.Because we are Entitled and do want we like…..
We share the same sense of irony bordering on if not embracing sarcasm!
Words of truth indeed my friend.
Why not invest in a proper dedicated (safe) cycleway between Ryde and Newport – the two main towns on the Island to get cycles off the road. As the infrastructure in Ryde is set to bust in the next decade this would be a priority.
Don’t think they will get funding for a West Wight cycleway since very little commuting use.
Agree, I commute cycling from Shanklin to Ryde every day and there isn’t an alternative to the main road. Nothing ever gets mentioned for East Wight. All money seems to go to Newport/Cowes and West Wight.
There’s a cycleway along Fairlee Road, but many cyclists still insist on slowing the traffic by not using it and cycling on the road instead. They should be made to wear helmets with yellow flashing lights on top to warn other road users of slow moving traffic.
I don’t understand why they still use the roads when there are safe paths to use. Doesn’t make any sense to me.
From Whitwell to Newport I have to use the road so your comment is non-sensical lol.
Good news for the families who like a gentle bike ride. But the lycra clad louts who rode Ventnor on Saturday the wrong way on a one way street, while shouting at cars who were going the right way, and telling pedestrians to “f…… move” should be caught. Arrogant beyond belief. Still the lycra louts just love to be seen on the roads causing bloody chaos, so won’t use cycle paths, the little bumps might damage their precious bikes.
First rule of lying, keep it simple. If you’d stopped at “the wrong way on a one way street” it would have been believable.
2/10 Must try harder.
Saw it happen so it is 100% true.
The amount of Lycra clad twats on and all over the roads this weekend, it’s a waste of time as the cycle network will never be used by the self important majority that think they’re above using them.
They really are very arrogant and now the rules have changed they are even worse.
Can’t see anything significant to get cars off the road. Why can’t they just focus on one great thing and do that. Everything they do is just for tourists anyway.
There need to be more cycle lanes on the island as cyclists need a safe passage wherever they go to allow the road to be used for what they’re meant for motor vehicles !!
Lets be perfectly honest on this and just realise that the entitled cyclists will take over any new “greenway or corridor” and make it dangerous and difficult for pedestrians. (As they do now)
The council are quite happy to let this happen and openly endorse it as when I have pointed out to them that cyclists regularly race on local footpaths the reply was that even though they are still shown as footpaths on the designated map, the council just say that they are “a shared path”.
I have just said to my family don’t come over this summer as it just isn’t a pleasure or safe to go on the roads anymore owing to the lycra yobs
Told your family not to come over ?
Because the roads are to dangerous ?
Because of a few cyclist ?
Great excuse, on the phone now to my in-laws. Thanks buddy.
Cyclists will ‘take over’ any new greenway?? I don’t understand what you mean, if a track/path is shown as a shared path with a blue pedestrian/cycle sign it means just that, shared. Of course people should not ride on dedicated footpaths. You are however correct in saying the roads are unsafe, inconsiderate users, of ALL kinds are making it so.
Cyclist’s interpretation of shared is totally different to pedestrian. I tend not to run up behind people and pass them with inches tp spare while shouting “coming through”
I might try it though, it sounds fun.
They do it a lot along the causeway at Freshwater to Yarmouth. They really are dangerous. And frighten the bloody life out of you when they come behind you so fast.
All part of the master plan to price cars for the masses off the roads, so the well to do can glide past us in climate controlled electric vehicles, as we wobble on some two wheeled machine, being lashed by the elements trying to keep ourselves and possessions dry.
The issue is we have too many people here, and Government knows that private car ownership could not continue
So instead of controlling numbers of people, it has opted to make our lives worse by making car ownership almost intolerable and costly so they can drive and park freely once more.
A slow stealth process, like they did with curtailing smoking etc.
Amazing they find all this money to spend on the minority cyclists yet they can’t afford to supply toilets in the centre of Shanklin Esplanade and the west end of Ventnor Esplanade.
The funding is for walkers and cyclists.
Don’t walkers and cyclists need toilets?
The roads are so narrow and cars/vans/lorries getting wider some safe cycle pathways need to be made. But as a car user if cycling takes priority now, then a rule should be imposed that where there is a cycle path it is illegal to use a main road to cycle, when a path is provided, more so now with the new Highway Code alterations, we live on an Island not a metropolis with the space for two cars and a cyclist as seen on the TV pictures. The fact they can now ride 2 abreast is ridiculous and dangerous – one thinks the idea must have been hatched during one of the 100 parties the Tory Government had during lock down.
The problem is there aren’t any dedicated cycle paths here. There are shared paths but they are not effective cos mixing dog walkers/pushchairs with cycles is just the same problem as mixing cars with cycles. One of them wants to go much faster than the other.
The cost of building dedicated cycle paths here would be massive. But they don’t even attempt it.
Why not build wider roads to accommodate a cycle path? why does every road have to be a certain width, some of the new estate roads 2 cars cant pass each other the’re so narrow.
Can we have a dentist?
Great news definitely needed. Hopefully less accidents if bikes aren’t on main roads
I applaud this due to the appalling driving standards on the island. No patience, No space awareness.