A councillor who is in charge of transport on the Isle of Wight says we should be ‘proud’ of the service the Floating Bridge provides.
It follows the feedback from frequent East Cowes to Cowes chain ferry users, nearly half of whom suggested the service was poor or below average.
Speaking at a meeting of the policy and scrutiny committee for neighbourhoods and regeneration on Thursday night, Councillor Phil Jordan, the cabinet member for transport and infrastructure said, said we would be forgiven for thinking the vessel never runs due to the narrative ‘in some corners’, but argued it was not the case.
Cllr Jordan said, since the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s inspection in Spring 2022, the Floating Bridge had operated for 97% of its scheduled hours — around 4,500 hours over 9 months.
A survey of saver card holders between July and August — the results of which have just been published — found passengers thought the service could be improved, including operating to a fixed timetable; a new app or text service; email updates; and a faster turnaround. Most told the Isle of Wight Council, which operates the Floating Bridge, that ticket prices were about right.
The authority says it has developed an action plan, including reviewing operating hours, loading and unloading procedures and staff training.
The Cowes to East Cowes chain ferry was out of service for nearly 6 weeks between March and April, when it was taken to Falmouth for its 5-yearly safety inspection. It returned to the Island at the start of April but as it was being returned to the banks of the River Medina, the vessel was pulled by the tide and crashed into the riverside wall of GKN, smashing 2 windows. The incident delayed the return of FB6 by another 10 days.
The downtime has been improved, Cllr Jordan said, by having a stock of spare parts, meaning repairs can be done more quickly. Small repairs equated to about 3%of the total operating time.
The reputation of the Floating Bridge, due to historic failures, has created the wrong perception the service is poor, said Cllr Jordan. He said:
“We should be proud of that service in the last year. I accept there have been problems with the vessel and service but it has improved.”
Councillor Ian Ward, the former transport cabinet member, agreed and said the service’s reputation had always been incorrect and it was “generally more reliable than a cross-Solent ferry”.
What a absolute plonker !!!!
this man is an idiot WHAT PLANET IS HE FROM
sorry jimbob i did not mean you but this counciler
…and this idiot is charge of transport and infrastructure? What cloud is he on? It’s not reliable, I don’t care for percentages of operation, I care for the “floating bridge” excuse I have to keep giving to my boss when I’m late for work. Yes counsellor, the people who pay your wages are being let down by this money pit of a public service.
Proud of it? No, it’s a calamity.
they even spend our money on iluminated signboard to encourage us back to the floating wight elephant, owing to the lack of floating bridge users
You have to wonder what planet they are on. The 97% only counts when it is running, all the other time it is not ‘in service’ does not seem to count. I went on it once and was so worried I got the bus back and a good job I did as it broke down later.
We should be proud of our floating bridge ???? Lol ….
The Council should be ashamed of all the money thrown at this heap of junk, and also not being open and honest re how much mediation cost and how much settlement they got !!!!
We the cash cow’s pay our hard earnt money and they waste it without being culpable……
We already know Council tax will rise due to their incompetence,
Excuses Excuses well they don’t wash with us anymore….
Phil Jordan I suggest is not a frequent user I suggest by his foolish comments, but whatever he’s smoking or Sniffing I would like some off !
Which Isle of Wight does this Mr Jordan live on, certainly not the same one as I do. Surely he does not live in this world, just like the rest of the IOW council.
Omg im creased up.fabulous joke…..from the top class joker himself! What a overpayed blinkered t wat
Is being a total cretin a job requirement for being a councillor, noted he is supported by the other village idiot ward.
The ferry is a badly designed and badly built drain on taxpayers money, a recent report clearly stated it was unfit for purpose.
clap clap clap clap.. cllrJordan…you utter fool.
So, the floating bridge is “Generally more reliable than a cross-Solent ferry”. There’s a recommendation (For a tunnel, across the Medina and across the Solent)!!!
Is it not he, that accepted the FB design..?/ Is it not him that ruined St Mary’s roundabout.. is it not him that has money in Wightlink and or Red Funnel… I wonder…
Similar to the counsellor, a waste of space…
I would love to know what there is to be proud of, false advertising about how reliable the service is… similar to Wightlink… and the fact millions have been wasted on it… did the money come from his own pockets …no chance…
Hopefully he will be voted out next election… Phil Jordan you are an idiot.
Busses are more reliable than the Cross-Solent ferry, as are cars, cycles and legs BUT.. You are asking us to (once again) forget about the massive costs, the strange build quality, the ‘secret’ settlement the unreliable 2-3 years when bits kept falling off or failing, the fact that the thing was built to the wrong design for the chains which makes it unreliable during high/low tides requiring the Tug to be rented for a day or two just to keep it going from one side to the other without drifting across to Wales, so WHERE exactly is this improvement? If you mean that it hasn’t broken down for a few months then BRAVO, well done to the Council, you are heroes, champions of local travel needs indeed.
Moronic thing to say
We all would be a lot richer if that thing was never built
Something isn’t adding up for me. They claim it’s worked for 97% of it’s operating hours and that small repairs account for 3%, but I seem to recall times when it hasn’t been available because of staff shortages too, and what about those times when tidal conditions cause cancellation of service? (Who could ever have anticipated that the water level goes up and down ehh)
Doesn’t it also stop TWICE a day for half an hour to ‘clean’ the chains from seaweed….? Surely that’s in operation hours too.
Good grief, no-one ever told the design team about seaweed in the water. Thank goodness it’s not corrosive sea water……..ehhh…what’s that you say?
Just keep sticking those skeletons in the cupboard mate, if you have room.
And to compare it with a cross-solent ferry is ridiculous.
Islanders what Councillor Jordan is trying , is called deflection or spin, stop you thinking unreliable and the compensation debacle… trouble is his credibility is shot to pieces no sensible person ever believes him .. but until he is ousted expect more of the same .. Ward & Stephens played the same game with us .. just need to remember the facts when you next vote .. and put some honesty back into the council.
Well I hope in the next election the public will remember this idiot. He’s always been a joke, like 99% of our councillors. Plus, it’s time for Barmy Bob Seely to be outed in the next election.
Don’t know how these people get voted in, complete mystery.
they say vote for us or the evil tories will’ fill in the blank’ and the goon squad vote these ar*eholes in..
he is another joke i will not vote for Bob Seely
This fool of a councillor is just an indication of the state of the council, if he is A typical then it is no wonder the isle of wight council is considered a laughing stock.
The circus is coming soon. This clown could vie for the job Pepe has held for a good number of years. He certainly seems to be a lot funnier!
Stupid, stupid man. Your deflection will not work with us. Still, what with this and the compensation cover up, means that the current crop of self serving jobsworths are totally unelectable going forward. Win win.
I can assure everyone, this man is a total cretin with the IQ of a frog, if that.
Is this Councillor taking the p*ss? He obviously thinks it’s ok to keep hemorrhaging our money, Council Tax payments into this disaster they call The Floating Bridge 6.
What a fantastic liar our very own convicted drunk driver Phil Jordan is, whilst hiding the facts of the settlement that he and all his cronies got from this travesty of a boat service. Just go Phil. You have lost the plot.
Is he under influence again by any chance?
Bob .. good pint ( sorry
I meant point )
My god, what kind of planet is he living on. What an absolute numbnut. Is he for real. Where has he been hiding, and he’s a Councillor, heaven help us
The floating bridge,understandably,has become a big joke. But the managementof our roads is an even bigger disgrace.Our council is completely clueless.Let’s go back to non payed volunteers whose sole purpose was for the good of the community and not taking money for so little.
Heap of crap is just as much unfit for purpose as the council is. It costs thousands of pounds of our money to keep in place, just like they do.
Should be kick Off the council, I bet he never uses it
Not hard to improve on useless is it, Bar is well and truly low set.Its a Island and National Joke. When I see signs saying it is operating normally I think they mean out of action!
It’s that reliable, that expensive signs have had to be installed to state when its running or not. Its not about being proud for the floater, its about being trusted, and I neither trust the floaty nor the council for that matter.
There are too many floaties about in the Council.
On every visit I’ve made to the Island, I’ve seen blazoned on big screens, ‘FLOATY MCBOATY NOT IN SERVICE’.
It doesn’t take an external money grabber to carry out an independent report to see that the chain ferry is not fit for purpose. It’s never worked properly since it was installed.
Phil Jordan, I don’t know what planet your on, but saying that resident should be “proud” is an insult to the intelligence of residents of the Island.
Is the guy in the wig, on the left in the photo, someone accidentally pasted in? Is he the inappropriately loud office joker from the Fast Show?