WITH only five days to go until the Isle of Wight welcomes the Olympic Torch, residents planning on visiting towns to view the historic relay are again being advised to use public transport or leave the car at home and walk.
The council is expecting thousands of people to line the streets and traffic in towns on the route is predicted to get heavy before the Torch arrives and once it leaves.
Because of the recent wet weather and predicted conditions leading up to Saturday, overflow car parks in Yarmouth and East Cowes may not be available, meaning there will be limited parking in these areas.
Parking at The Needles Park will also be on a first-come first-served basis and Island residents will be able to get free parking on the day on presentation of a voucher (printed in the County Press Olympic Torch supplement) and proof of Island residence (utility bill or photo ID with address on). Once the car parking facilities at The Needles Park are full, drivers will be turned away.
For spectator safety reasons and to allow the convoy to move through town centres without potential obstructions, on-street parking in Yarmouth town centre, Newport High Street and York Avenue in East Cowes will also be suspended for the day on 14 July. Parking enforcement officers will be on duty in these towns during the relay to ensure no vehicles are parked dangerously or causing an obstruction.
Southern Vectis will be providing park and ride services into Newport town centre from the Isle of Wight College and Newport Football Club. Buses will be available between the hours of 10am and 4pm to help people avoid driving into the town centre.
Free parking will also be made available at Fort Victoria where residents can leave their vehicles and walk to Yarmouth town centre.
Residents should also keep an eye on the council’s Facebook and Twitter pages and listen to local radio any updates. The council’s social media pages can be found at www.facebook.com/isleofwightcouncil and also www.twitter.com/iwight
Southern Vectis is also planning on putting on additional bus services during the relay on busy routes. These are:
– Routes 2, 3 and 8 from Sandown to Newport between 12.30pm and 2.20pm with return to Sandown between 3.15pm and 4pm.
-Routes 2 and 3 from Shanklin to Newport between 12pm and 2.05pm with return to Shanklin between 3.15pm and 4pm.
-Route 3 from Ventnor to Newport between 12.40pm and 2.10pm with return to Ventnor between 3.15pm and 4pm.
– Route 7 from Newport to Yarmouth/Alum Bay between 11.15am and 1.15pm with return to Newport between 2pm and 3pm.
– Route 5 from Newport to East Cowes from 12pm until 2.30pm with return to Newport between 4pm and 5pm.
– Route 4 from Ryde to East Cowes from 11.50pm until 1.50pm with return to Ryde between 4pm and 5pm.
A full list of roads affected by the Torch Relay is as per below:
YARMOUTH:
River Road, Quay Street, Pier Street, The Square and High Street will have its one-way system suspended. Vehicles will be stopped from entering The Square from St James Street and directed into Bridge Road.
A road closure will be in force in South Street from Ommaney Road from 1.20pm. Access to the sailing club and residents will be available until this time.
The road closure in South Street will extend to the Tennyson Road junction from 1.30pm.
Yarmouth Bridge will be closed to river traffic between 10am and 2.30pm.
GUNVILLE:
On street parking will be suspended all day
CARISBROOKE:
Carisbrooke High Street (at the roundabout) will be closed to Gunville-bound traffic from 2.30pm until 2.50pm
NEWPORT:
On-street parking in High Street through to Coppins Bridge will be suspended all day.
The High Street, at the junction with St James’s Square through to Coppins Bridge, will be closed to all traffic between 2.00pm and 3.30pm. This is to allow for the area to be pedestrianised.
EAST COWES:
Parking suspended all day on York Avenue and Well Road.
Rolling road closures will be in place along the route and will be in force when the torch passes through each area.
Residents travelling from Cowes on the floating bridge are encouraged to walk instead of using their cars.
Lots of information on the torch relay can be found at www.iwight.com/olympictorchrelay
