Residents are concerned about the possibility of the Isle of Wight council charging each and every passenger on the Floating Bridge 50p for each journey, be they on foot, a passenger in a car, pillion on a motorbike or a cyclist.
They’ve created a leaflet, which as you may not have seen it, is reproduced below, (complete with their bolding).
If what is on the leaflet is correct, the impact on all users of the floating bridge, especially the frequent ones, with the potential cost for them, will be considerable.
Floating Bridge Pedestrian and Car Passenger Fees
The Isle of Wight Council is proposing to charge every pedestrian, cyclist AND even each car passenger 50p each way (£1 return).
The IW Council plans to do this with NO PUBLIC CONSULTATION.
NO CONCESSIONS for pensioners or children. Pupils going to Cowes High School would be issued one day-return ticket only valid during school times, not for after school activities. Parents attending school functions such as concerts, teacher conferences, etc would have to pay full fare. One parent and two children walking to Holy Cross would pay £760 pa!
It would cost commuters between £230 – £250 per annum to walk across the floating bridge between East Cowes and Cowes. A family of five would have to pay £5 return to patronise the local shops. A pensioner would pay a pound just to go to the bank, as there are no banks in East Cowes.
Additionally, there is no indication that the IW Council can guarantee that the ticket collection will not affect the speed or frequency of the service, which can mean less frequent service in the busiest of times.
The floating bridge is legally part of the A3020 highway. The Isle of Wight Council has had 35 years since the floating bridge was built to set aside money for a new bridge. It is a vital part of the Island’s transportation plan that reduces Newport congestion.
A financial barrier of a pedestrian fee on the floating bridge would cripple local businesses. The comparably modest 10p pedestrian fee was eliminated in 1992. And 10p in 1992 is equal to only 16p in 2011; 50p is an 212.5% inflation-busting increase from even the old fee.
The East Cowes Town Council is holding a public meeting on Saturday 29th January 2011 at 10.30am in the Town Hall to discuss the library, public toilets, youth facilities and floating bridge. Please come to the meeting. If you disagree with the floating bridge proposal, please make your views known to the IWC local members: Cllr. Margaret Webster: tel: 07779999934 email:[email protected] and Edward.Giles tel: 07779999812 email: [email protected]
VB has a podcast with the Mayor of East Cowes on the subject to follow.
