OnTheWight always welcomes a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers – unsurprisingly they don’t always reflect the views of this publication. If you have something you’d like to share, get in touch and of course, your considered comments are welcome below.
There has been much talk about the traffic impact in Ventnor and Whitwell by the closure of Leeson Road and now Newport Road, but Tess Jessop from St Lawrence, shares this story close to her. Ed
Another St Lawrence Shute story…..
Friday, just after 5 in the afternoon a friend followed a very large and shiny RV type vehicle, way wider than a caravan, off the Whitwell Road, past the unsuitable sign, and down the Shute.
Apparently the driver was very skilled because he managed to get around both bends, but “with a bit of manoeuvring backwards and forwards on both”. He had to do that, because he couldn’t have turned round anyway. He then tried several times, to make the sharp left hand turn down Seven Sisters Road, shuffling backwards and forwards again and using the drive of the Rectory. Eventually, he managed it. In the meantime my friend and the cars behind him waited patiently, because he is a patient man, and anyway what else could he do?
Can you imagine the reactions of some drivers we all meet on the Shute? More importantly, can you imagine the mayhem had the RV driver not been so skilled? What if it had got stuck, like the coach a few years ago?
We would then be down to just one road out through Ventnor, until that vehicle was somehow retrieved. What if there was an emergency? We’ve had landslips, its coming up to fire season. The lack of forethought and planning by Island Roads and the Council takes my breath away.
Someone, and I think it’s Isle of Wight Council, has a duty of care. It’s not good enough to say its too difficult or that there has not been a serious incident, yet. The council cannot leave it to Island Roads, because as we all know IR do not react until there is an emergency, when it could be too late for someone, unless its easy.
I hate to say it but you can’t regulate for stupidity, however you can mitigate the obstacles with a bit of vision. The Whitwell narrows problem has been planned for, whatever you think of the one way system.
Why can’t the Shute be included in that for the moment?
