A programme of safety work to lay high-friction surfacing at locations across the Island is to begin shortly.
Island Roads will be laying new anti-skid surfacing, or replacing worn sections, at more than a dozen sites in a 3-week programme starting on Cowleaze Hill, Shanklin on Tuesday (20th September).
As the sites are traditionally busy sections of the road network, all the work will be done at night under either a road closure or with temporary traffic lights in operation.
High friction surfacing (HFS) involves the application of a layer of very high-quality aggregate that helps motorists maintain better control in both dry and wet driving conditions. Typically, HFS is applied on the approaches to busy junctions, at pedestrian crossings or at sharp bends on roads with higher speed limits.
The fact HFS is usually coloured also serves as a visual reminder to motorists to take additional care.
Besides Cowleaze, HFS will be laid at the following sites:
- Blackwater Hollow on the bends between Bridleway 41 and Birchmoor Lane
- Calbourne Road, Newport on the approach to Carisbrooke
- Merstone Lane, Godshill at the approach to Bohemia Corner
- Pyle Street, Newport, at the approach to Drill Hall Road.
- Culver Parade, Sandown at the pedestrian crossing outside Dinosaur Isle
- Ventnor High Street junction with Madeira Lane.
- Marlborough Road, Ryde at the junction with Somerset Road.
- Berry Shute, Chillerton at the junction with Berry Lane
- Cockleton Lane, Gurnard, at the junction with Hilton Road/Gurnard Pines
- Whitwell Road, Ventnor, outside Ventnor Rugby Club
- Ventnor Road at Apse Heath.
In most cases, the work will be completed in between 1 to 3 shifts. Some preparation work, such as the replacement of the existing surfacing, may be required at some sites.
Because HFS must be laid in mild, dry conditions, the programme is subject to change depending on the weather – although the weather is looking positive for next week, according to IW Met Service.
Keith Gourlay, Island Roads’ construction manager, has said:
“Because these locations are, by their nature, busy sections of the network, we hope that working at night will reduce the impact on the travelling public. But we are sure residents will appreciate the need to keep the network as safe as possible and we thank them in advance for their understanding.”
Unfortunately, this will make the ‘late brakers’ even bolder and give wonderful grip for the ones who want to see if it really will do 0 to 60 in 4.4secs
And in 6 months time most of it will be gone unless they bed it in properly. This could be a real waste of money. Meanwhile the potholes …..
Island Roads could not make a bed, yet alone bed it in.
The way people drive better put on all the roads might keep cars on there 4 wheels
Be done just in time for Xmas then
Xmas 2022 or Xmas 2023
Is this some kind of joke..the roads need to be mended to a HIGH quality of work first..I’m always surprised that the repairs get signed off or maybe they aren’t checked
Stevie Wonder must work for IW Council.
The high quality was given away by former councillor John Gilbey to save £250,000
He removed the requirement for Island Roads to work to a high standard – so now they don’t.
More important jobs to do than that like sort Fairlee road out it’s like a rollercoaster
When are we going to see some road repairs? Great Preston Road is an absolute disgrace – full of dangerous potholes.Island Roads should be renamed. Island Pavements and Side Roads would be far more appropriate.In my opinion the management of our roads is an absolute disgrace.
Very true.
The Roads a disgrace.
Too many vehicles use this Road rather than using Marlborough Road.
Great Preston Road is one of the most dangerous Roads on the Island due to vehicles parking on both sides of the Road.
IW COUNCIL need to have placed double yellow lines down 1 side of the Road.
The most dangerous part of the Road is on the bend where the Council Houses are
Situated.
Only a matter of time before a serious accident takes place.
Secreted camera’s are the only true means of taking accident numbers lower provided the courts back the police evidence with car crushing and jail terms.
Both will of course never happen so the nanny state will just add to the issue by moving the speeding cars accidents elsewhere
Never mind anti skid what has happened to resurfacing all island roads?Resurfacing seems to have completely stopped and lots which has been done is crumbling away.Have Island Toads spent all the money typical bodge jobs all over the place.Somone should be made accountable for this.
It’s about time IW Council laid double yellow lines along the length of
Great Preston Road, Ryde.
But all the parents of state kept children would have to walk a few yards in the wet then on school days.
Perhaps society could provide taxis so they can stay in the dry watching ‘everybody loves Raymond’ whilst we pay more taxes for the next generation of nere do wells
The lazy b*stards need to get some exercise and think of others.
The Island is a Dinosaur when it comes to law and order, people get away with
parking anywhere.
Speeding etc
Great Preston Road requires speed humps as well.
There is NO speed limit along this Road.
It is a rat run.
I would block the Road off at one end so people have to use Marlborough Road rather than Great Preston Road.
Drove along Great Preston Road this evening and some idiot had a black Vauxhall Corsa
Parked on the pavement outside the old council houses.
Do these morons not have legs
How about Island roads fix Great Preston road ?
Less “anti skid” granted , but more “less anti effed up suspension “.
Great Preston Road is an Autobahn
Vehicles speed along the Road 50+
Vehicles park either side of the Road, disabling the Road.
IW Council are useless and traffic police is non existent.
It seems to me a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted,in other words to little being done & to late !!!
ha ha so now island drivers need help with their braking. cheaper to do driver’s retest
If they think this will stop accidents, they’d better put this stuff down all over the island!
If a driver is a good one, they’ll know to slow down on tight, blind bends. No amount of anti skid will stop accidents caused by speeding and bad driving. There is certainly a lot of that.
How about working through the night as they do on the mainland and resurface the main road between Newport and Ryde its nothing other than a disgrace. The last time this section was done was 2001.
That’s nice .. so as Island Toads finish their bit … Wight Fibre will be getting ready to dig it up again. 3.5 months to repair 1 road in Shalfleet .. and has anybody seen/heard our transparent MP Sob Beely ?
Transparent? Well, OK, we’ve all seen through him…
It will never stop the idiots from crashing….too many of them on our roads…
Be better if they spent the time repairing the road surface.
When freshly laid, this stuff is lethal for motorcyclists.
Don’t worry more Wight fibre will be along in a minute to dig it up.
Make the over 70’s take a full retest every 3 years. That will half the number of drivers on the road, reduce accidents and keep the busses full. Win win.
Stupid comment. It’s the 17-25 year old p*so heads and more so – the drug drivers causing the problems
Every bit of road they have smeared some tar on has broken up less then 2 years later..most are all ..ked