Conservative Group Leader, Councillor Ed Blake, has welcomed signs of progress on long-awaited safety improvements at Vittlefields Junction, but is seeking assurances from the Isle of Wight Council that the scheme will be delivered without further delay.
Years in the making
Speaking ahead of Thursday’s Transport Committee meeting, Councillor Blake said residents had waited far too long for action at the junction, which has been the subject of safety concerns for many years.
The Vittlefields scheme returns to the council agenda more than seven years after a fatal collision at the junction and following a petition signed by around 7,000 people calling for improvements.
It is also more than five years since the Isle of Wight Coroner urged the council to take action to prevent further loss of life at the location.
Councillor Matt Price has repeatedly called for action following on the coroner’s recommendations after the fatal 2019 crash.
“People have heard promises before”
Councillor Blake said while the apparent progress was welcome, residents were entitled to be sceptical given the council’s record of delivering major highways projects. Councillor Blake,
“Everyone will welcome any genuine progress at Vittlefields, but people have heard promises before and they understandably want to know when these improvements will actually be delivered.
“The council has repeatedly struggled to bring forward infrastructure projects in a timely manner, and that history raises legitimate questions about whether this scheme will now be prioritised and completed without further delay.”
A history of delay
Councillor Blake pointed to several projects that have faced significant delays, including the Prison Estate roads, where major improvements have yet to materialise more than five years after the council received over £6 million to assume responsibility for the network.
He also highlighted the prolonged disruption caused by the closure of Bath Road, ongoing issues at Southgrove Road, and the continued lack of a permanent solution to the closure of the A3055 at Undercliff Drive more than a decade after its failure.
Some progress, but questions remain
While welcoming recent progress on the A3056 safety scheme, Councillor Blake noted that work had commenced more than three years after funding was awarded.
He added that residents are also still waiting for a credible long-term strategy to safeguard the future of Military Road.
What Councillor Blake is asking for
At the council meeting, Councillor Blake will ask the authority to provide a clear timetable for delivering the Vittlefields improvements and to publicly commit to treating the scheme as a matter of the highest priority. He said,
“Residents have been waiting years for action and deserve certainty.
“My message to the council is simple: tell the public when this work will be completed and demonstrate that Vittlefields will not become another project lost in years of delay and indecision.”
News shared by Ed Blake on behalf of the IW Conservative Group of Councillors. Ed
