News 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.
This from Isle of Wight councillor for East Cowes, Karl Love. Ed
It seems to me that the Red Funnel service has become totally unreliable, especially in the mornings with continuous cancellations of services. It makes me wonder why anyone would want to use them, except there is virtually no other option.
Promises of a revised application
Not only are we experiencing these operational delays, we have had a significant delay of at least four years in the delivery of the promised marshalling yard implementation which they forced upon the people of East Cowes by appealing the refused planning application and now they have been promising, a revised planning application, to be made, for many months.
In fact, the Town Council cancelled its regular meetings with Red Funnel because, yet again they have not brought forward its repeatedly promised new proposals. This is significantly holding up the amendment discussions to the Draft East Cowes Transport Plan which is currently under discussion.
Concerns about the Draft Transport plan
The Draft Transport plan has some useful information contained within it, but I also have significant concerns about some of its 190 pages of proposed highway solutions for our town. Any plan cannot be progressed without the information from Red Funnel’s revised planning applications, as it’s so significant.
I and others wanted to review these plans before the summer influx of tourist vehicles, so we might consider its impact for local people in a real time context.
High cost of travel
I also fear the high cost of vehicle transit, crossing the Solent by both ferry operators is now too great and will deter much needed tourism.
I picked a typical weekend using reasonable travel comparisons and times in July, 7th to 9th, with two people in a car. The cost was £187.25 by one ferry operator and £204 by the other.
Is it any wonder why tourism, which sustains so many jobs, is struggling on our Island?
Revised plans and Draft Transport Plan
Once Red Funnel do resubmit its yard planning applications there will be opportunity to publicly comment and it seems logical for the proposed Transport Plan to be issued in tandem, so our Island and local community can evaluate them side by side.
Our community needs to see what the mainland company MARKIDES have proposed from the amended Red Funnel plan.
Far from satisfied with the Draft Transport plan
Thus far I remain far from satisfied with the Draft Transport Plan. The real question though is once we arrive at an agreed solution, which I’m not convinced is anytime soon, who will pay for it to be implemented?
Certainly there is no money allocated within the Isle of Wight council budget and our townspeople have seen so many fanciful plans over the years.
I’m told you’ve got to have a plan in order to attract the funding, but we’ve had lots of plans and received a little more than a few lampposts in exchange for our town being used as a car park for the ferry company who, in my view, simply refuses to listen and take action.
Don’t blame the workers
That’s not to say it’s the fault of the employees working in the terminal yards who are so clearly stretched to the limits.
We are told that new technology is helping, but that doesn’t help our townspeople surrounded by exhaust fumes and inaccessible facilities.
Sanctions for any disruptive negative impacts
We must have regulated ferry operators, by government and law. There must be significant sanctions applied for any disruptive negative impacts.
This seems to be the only way that we can force ferry operators to raise their game and we still don’t have any signs of any electrification of the Red Funnel operations moving forward.
Image: 2015 artist’s impression of how the ‘mixed use development’ could look like
