An online petition launched earlier today calling for Ventnor roads to be reopened has already attracted more than 300 signatures.
Addressed to council leader Phil Jordan and council Chief Executive, Wendy Perera, the petition reads:
Ventnor is a gorgeous, commercially resurgent resort town on the Isle of Wight’s stunning south coast. Thanks to a historic Victorian road network impacted by unprecedented recent rainfall, Ventnor is now cut off from the local population centers of the Isle of Wight and the bus, train, ferry & road networks back to the mainland.
Single road closures are manageable, but the current dire state of multiple emergency road closures spanning Leeson, Gills Cliff, Bath, Graben and Southgrove roads threatens the health & wellbeing of an entire town.
The lack of any overall plan to restore access & vague timeframes for repair or reopening that Island Roads seem unable to justify has created a feeling of helplessness among businesses & residents that cannot continue.
Parents cannot effectively get children to school. The vulnerable cannot access critical health services. Visitors are not returning. Deliveries are delayed or canceled. Island residents are circumventing the town. Employees cannot get to work. Jobs are being lost. Remaining roads are becoming seriously unsafe. Traffic is heavily congested resulting in vastly increased emissions.
Phil Jordan & Wendy Perera, please immediately lead from the front to create the political will & contractual leadership needed to re-open Ventnor roads NOW not in a year or more’s time when the town has become unviable.
Add your signature
If you wish to add your signature to the petition head over to the 38 Degrees website.
Just for clarity, Ventnor is still accessible by road via Whitwell and Wroxall. The route via Wroxall will be closing for two weeks from 24th June for major sewer works at the graben. During this period the only route in and out of the town will be via Whitwell.
Details of the one-way system can be found on yesterday’s article.
