The streets of Newport town centre look somewhat different this morning (Monday) owing to the installation of temporary markings, the suspension of parking bays and changes to local bus routes.
The changes are part of Isle of Wight Council plans to encourage social distancing and include white dots on the pavement to indicate 2-metre social distancing, as well as the message — ‘COVID-19 – Stay 2m apart’ — stencilled every 14 metres in the busiest shopping areas.
Parking has been suspended and water barriers placed in the lower part of the High Street to allow more space for pedestrians. Meanwhile, at Newport Bus Station, bus stops for Routes 5, 7, 12 and 38 have moved to Church Litten.
The council aims to roll out similar schemes in Ryde and Cowes ready for 15th June when the government says non-essential shops can reopen. The rest of the Island will be considered for such measures, where required, over the next 4 to 6 weeks.
No we don’t want these draconian measures in our towns. What a load of tosh
They want to introduce the Chinese social credit score system where if you cross the road at the wrong time you are shamed on a big screen across the road and get points deducted that stop you doing things like travel. I feel this is the start of that control its called communism nothing to do with Covid19 its all a lie to implement control of the population. They have been testing this in London using cameras that track everyone’s movements and if you are distancing or not.
Ridiculous .. it’s to try and ensure safety of public health… there would be pandemonium without these measures .. the island needs this
Oh Sapphire, now we can move around like ludo pieces what fun going from dot to dot…………ridiculous. I’m following the examples of our politicians! Just because they say “jump” most of you would say “how high” you should be saying WHY
David b is right, do your research. People like you haven’t the foggiest ,and as far as pandemonium? Don’t make me laugh, most are sheep and have the back bone of a jellyfish. It’s no good moaning when it’s here. Google credit system, then go to gov.2030. And you see.
Oh my God David B, are you related to that fool Mr Justice? what poison! No island deaths for 2 weeks, no new cases for a week. This is what social distancing has achieved and long may it have the positive affect until this virus has gone. Oh, no I must be wrong, it’s all been about our democracy becoming a communist state…hilarious
Get use to it my friend, the liars ( government) have seen how easy it was to push the public around. So next, mandatory tracking app, health passport so you get move around freely, and go to work of course( no passport no working) then vacations,oh mandatory of course. That’s where it’s going.
fool
So you want the virus to spread like wildfire? As long as you’re alright jack….
So you want the virus to spread like wildfire? As long as you’re alright jack….
Fat lot of good that will do…no coughing/sneezing allowed as 2mts is a joke. Perhaps if we all wrapped ourselves in clingfilm …you could not make this up !!!!
Thank goodness some common sense, I thought it had eroded
I don’t recall seeing the statutory notices for suspending parking. And surely we can’t have graffiti all over the pavement based on a whim?
Plus of course the barriers now mean the sheep and prols will all be ushered to one central crossing point to pass their infection.
Well done useless IWC yet again. Destroy whatever is left of the town why don’t you………
And it’s all pretty meaningless because as soon as anyone wants to bypass this they just get together with a few hundred of their mates, don a Black Lives Matter t-shirt and they are immediately immune from Covid, prosecution, arrests or laws. With the IWC Leaders virtue signalling blessing too.
just in time for the social distancing to be reduced/lifted – which means it will be pointless – these painted pavement signs should have been in place in april and looking to be removed now, not just being painted – talk about behind the curve.
Ha ha ha you think this will be lifted? Hello the new normal ,remember.?
Boo, where you Been Mr Justice? Good news there’s been no island Covid 19 deaths for 2 weeks, no new cases for a week, the Chinese haven’t taken us over and boy I haven’t been spied on using the app
You are so dim, never ever said Chinese was taken us over, you carry on believing the liars it will be your undoing. No new cases in London either,so what does that prove? Nothing. Anyway ,the stage is all yours.
THINK about it – Some shops will be opening but there will be restrictions and queues outside so obviously the pavements need to be wider for others to pass. Time and again people are seen flouting this simple advice/request/order whatever you like to call it. Not moving apart on paths and pavements and forcing others into the road mainly because they are so involved on their phones they don’t see you, people walking together chatting (that’s ok if from same household) but again no thought for others trying to keep their distance, sitting down on the grass to enjoy the sun but why sit on the path in the way of others who are walking, leaning in car windows chatting to those inside and so on. Please remember you may not have the virus as yet but you can still be carrying it and pass it to others and it could come back to get you. So, please, keep your distance at all times if humanly possible.
So what they gonna do (if anything) to create more space outside McDonalds in Newport. When that re-opens it will be heaving, with massing / queuing around outside. Bang outside the busy fork in the road. I hope someone has had the foresight to anticipate this, judging by the long-queues for drive-thru in Ryde.
They should’ve left gaps for crossing. Now everyone has to gather at a crossing point. Defeats the object don’t you think!
it doesn’t make any sense if you cough or sneeze it spreads a lot further than 2 mtrs anyway . with barriers put up you will increase the risk because your being forced to use the pedestrian crossing , bit like herding sheep to a specific point .without any barriers you could cross anywhere on the high street if your careful giving you more room for social distancing. the council and island roads what a combination bunch of incompetent clowns.
I have only seen the dots on the ground on the upper part of High Street this morning, and I thought to myself that it makes little sense to place them along the pavement, as long as there are no dots sideways to allow passing at 2m distance. The photo of the barriers in the lower half looks rather menacing.
Whatever next? A one-way system for pedestrians on pavements?
The mind boggles, particularly if you consider the width of pavements elsewhere in Island towns…
What a disgusting total waste of tax payers money. No wonder they keep having to put up our council tax. the money spent on this could of been better spent elsewhere for example those in the community that need extra support thro all of this. there are 200 cases of Covid 19 on the island a figure that hasn’t risen for the last 4 days or so , when you look at this percentage wise its 0.14% of the population yes were all worried about this but do the council think that we all don’t have brains & they need to waste money on what they have done. I would love to know exactly how much money the council have spent doing this but as usual it will be all kept hush hush . The council should be ashamed of themselves That scheme might possibly work in Newport but it certainly wont in other towns Like Sandown , Shanklin Ventnor all it would do is cause Traffic mayhem
The council’s working with supermarkets to make high Street shopping a thing of the past ,who is going to bother going into town now shop out of town you know it makes sense
Just some idiot council fool desperately trying to virtue signal that something is being done when they are in fact clueless.
Lets not forget it was only a few months ago that this council got rid of virtually everyone in their (don’t laugh) ‘Public Health Department’.
Okay so they were all laughably working from home, on gardening leave, off sick cos their PC mouse was too heavy, getting their hair done or just plain useless, but at least they were a supposed resource. Now they have gone there is no one to even pretend to work, just inept Councillors trying to justify their positions.
I’ve never seen the pavements in Newport that full of people that we have to resort to this! It’s not London!! Waste of time and money and bit late now.
Echo you have fallen into the media censorship, thought that you would do this in the end. Not only are you not putting up posts, but you are taking posts down at a later date. No point using this anymore. Island echo MSM. End to free speech:(
Bye Bye then Mr Justice, take your scare mongering with you
I only ever gave facts, not lies, but the public will have to found out things ,the hard way! Let’s see if you will still be Offering advice on how Mr justice was wrong.
There’s no painted lines on the edge of the kerb to indicate a trip hazard! Wonder how long this will last before someone cranks their ankle, or worse, and sues the Council?
Very novel of the council.to close all the parking spaces along the high street. This means that cars have to park further away causing people to walk along a busier street. Instead of walking a few yards they are now walking hundreds passing more people for a longer period of time! Maybe they are trying to fill the hospitals beds up again? Again they haven’t listened to what the government has said, “You need to be within 2metres of a person FOR AT LEAST 15MINUTES to pick up the virus” and that person needs to be coughing and sneezing in that time. One thing we do know government officials know how to make a crisis worse after the event. This action just adds to the confusion and fear generated by lack of foresight, planning, caring,
The only major problem is that some people voted them in office in the first place.
On right side going down high street the dots all way down are defo not metres!have a look.oposite are.other side specsavers side looks more like 1 metre.wth? Hows that going keep the ignorant lot apart
Not 2 metres on one side i missed that bit