Side thrusters are the latest solution being put forward to solve the problem of the troubled Cowes Floating Bridge – costing yet more money.
Isle of Wight Council officer Alex Minns told a meeting of the corporate scrutiny committee that a number of options, including increasing the number of piles in the river to hold the boat in place, had been looked at but didn’t ‘fulfil all the requirements’ to get the floating bridge back up and running reliably.
The most feasible option, the council says, is to install side thrusters to keep the boat on course through fast-flowing spring tides — meaning the push boat, which helps Floating Bridge 6 cross the Medina, would no longer be needed.
Mr Minns said:
“We are looking to work with a company called Longitude [marine engineering experts] who are looking at eight options, which are being evaluated independently so we can ensure those all work.
“We are waiting for a report to come back, at the end of October, which we hope will allow us to select the best option and hopefully solve these problems once and for all.”
He also acknowledged the vessel has been plagued with problems since it was first installed in May 2017 — with the main, remaining problem now being the insufficient clearance over the chains. All the other problems, Mr Minns said, have been or are being resolved.
Councillor Dave Stewart, leader of the Isle of Wight Council, said while the thrusters would be a significant capital investment, it would be ‘a positive impact’ on the council’s revenue budget to not have to pay for the push boat — which costs the council around £97,000 a year.
Although, not all councillors were happy with the latest proposed modification. Cllr Julie Jones-Evans questioned why more modifications were being made to a boat that was supposedly designed for the Island. She said:
“It appears to me, and everyone I speak to on the street, the vessel is not designed for our river crossing. When are we going to finally realise the design is fundamentally flawed?”
Cllr Stewart said that was the subject of the legal discussions currently taking place but his continued priority remains to be getting the service back in action for the communities of East and West Cowes.
Cllr Debbie Andre questioned whether the side thrusters would have any environmental impact on the river but Cllr Stewart said while they would consider that there were a number of particular issues in that estuary which appear to have affected the environment.
In July, during routine maintenance, a significant problem was found in the hydraulics which meant all parts were taken out, stripped down and put back together again. However, the part delaying the project longer was one of the main motors of the hydraulics system which had considerably more damage than anticipated.
It is now hoped by the Isle of Wight Council the crossing will be back in service by 17th October, in time for half term – but how long for?
It was also revealed at this week’s meeting that the Isle of Wight Council has yet to contractually take over the floating bridge from the shipbuilders. In response to the public question, Cllr Richard Hollis said it was due to the pending resolution of issues experienced on the vessel.
The most interesting part of this article (apart from the totally ridiculous suggestion of side thrusters) is that apparently the council “has yet to contractually take over the floating bridge from the shipbuilders” If that is the case, why is that floating t*rd even still on the Island? – it should have been returned in 2017. Thats 3 years ago. 3 bl**dy years. WTF are this council doing? Gross negligence comes to mind. Misappropriation of taxpayers money anyone? Public inquiry?
Warp drive is next, “The engines canna’ take it Captain”
Clingons on the starboard bow will interfere with the ‘side thrusters’……..it will be chaotic. It will be out of control…..
Maybe we could have rocket boosters or warp drive as well. Make it so.
Why don’t we put side thrusters on the council and the technical advisers never to be seen again.
Unfortunately i have a horrible feeling we are going to end up where we started.
Thrusters get real the thing is too bloody heavy already and how are they going to run them
The old floating bridges didn’t have them and they operated on any tide , may have landed a bit skew from the ramp but still worked day in day out for decades
Yep, never needed for the previous ioo years and five bridges !!!!
Give it back to the idiots that made it. It hasn’t been paid for. Get an island firm to build a new one following the designs of the old one. There was nothing wrong with the old design, just worn out. The same with the hovercraft. They dont run if theres wind or waves. The old ones did. It’s like the designers of the new floating bridge were completely unaware that water moves. Come on people of the council, sort it out, your an embarrasment!
What a load of utter cobblers! Did our inglorious leader go to the same people who designed this slab of uselessness to ask for help, or was it a primary school project? whatever influenced this latest brain emission will be as much use as a chocolate teapot. The electric power needed to spin these thrusters would probably mean running an extension cable from the shore! Rubbish upon rubbish! Get shut of it now!
Don’t worry, it will soon have some major competition from the St Mary’s traffic ‘improvements’, which should divert unwanted public attention away from this monumental and persistent failure
they and we know it needs to be scrapped its never going to last 20 years let alone the next 5 stop spending moey on this toatl pile of shxxt
Another wast of money, the phrase good money after bad comes to mind
Should have copied the old one. That one didn’t need side thrusters or a boat to help it across the river.
Be interesting to see how much our council tax next year increases to cover this farce.
Get that useless pile of stone out of the harbour mouth and get the river flowing as nature had devised not as the greedy Harbour Commissioners proposed, might be a good start. then see what side strain is put on bridge 6
They should fit wheels to it,so it can go up the slip way at low tide,also get rid of the chains and fit propellers and call it the floating bridge boat.
Side thrusters,warp, rockets electrical extension leads – how about a time portal, we could turn back 3yrs,renovate and upgrade refurbish the old – come back to past/future/present or whatever and of saved millions,best of all the continued regular crossings the old no5 had done for many a year. Why did they not just design as old one?.
There is a very old, and very true, military maxim “Never reinforce a failure!”
Oh but this council just keep throwing good money after bad………after all, it’s not coming out of their pockets is it. Just spend our council tax, they’ll get more, our bill will increase again next year because they say there is a shortfall and they haven’t got any money. NO, and we all know why they haven’t got any bloody money!!!!!!
More of our Council Tax being wasted on ‘side thrusters’……,for heaven’s sake!!!!! The Tory Councillors need side thrusters attached to them….then watch them take off…..right off….
SIDE Thrusters Yeah good one, if that don’t work please tell me that the people coming out with these ideas to save it will quit now
If the Councillors think that side thrusters will cure the problems with this totally useless piece of non engineering, then give them all life jackets, and get them to be the side thrusters.
Wonders how long it will take for them to realise what a total waste of time this junk is?