Yesterday, OnTheWight reported the news that Wightlink plan to reduce the waiting time for vehicles on Ryde Pier from later this month.
The new plans allow only 20 minutes of waiting time on the pier, instead of the current hour. The move has come under fire from many residents.
Critchley: Idea “not been properly thought through”
After reading of the plans through OnTheWight, Ryde Town Councillor, Julian Critchley, told us,
“This idea has not been properly thought through, and Wightlink would have been well-advised to consult the Ryde Town Council before making such an unwise decision. 20 minutes is completely insufficient to ensure those waiting to pick up relatives/friends can be off the pier.
“The journey up and down the pier can take ten minutes, and the boats are frequently 5-10 minutes delayed in offloading passengers.
People will be caught out by fines even if they have turned up on time, through no fault of their own.”
Knock-on effect of traffic
Cllr Critchley said the traffic feeding into the roundabout at the end of the pier already became blocked-up a peak times and that problem could be averted by something as straightforward and simple as extending the waiting time to 30 minutes.
He said,
“In addition, Wightlink have clearly not taken any account of the knock-on traffic problems which will be caused by drivers trying to time their arrival in a much smaller window.
“Queuing traffic is likely to back up Union Street, bringing central Ryde to a halt at peak commuter times. This cannot be allowed to happen.”
Meeting requested as matter of urgency
Cllr Critchley finished by saying,
“I have contacted fellow RTC councillors, and have asked for a meeting with Wightlink as a matter of urgency to ensure that they understand the need to take account of the local community they serve.”
OnTheWight have put a series of questions to Wightlink and will update once we hear back from them.
