And A Very Big Oddment!
The fbbs travelled back from the Isle of Wight on Monday 25th November so were unable to join the fun that emanated from the road between Ryde and Newport. The above extract from the Southern Vectis network diagram shows the two routes that now travel via Binstead, Fishbourne and Wootton.
Route 4 (PURPLE on the diagram) runs hourly to East Cowes ...... whilst route 9 (PINK on the diagram) runs every ten minutes from Ryde to Wootton then the service splits with half the buses staying on the A3054 ...... and the other half passing the Steam Railway (at the Wootton RED blob) then on to the Island Capital via Staplers. Both routes show service 9 but the electronic blinds are clear as to the route variation.Thus it was for the Monday of the fbb's departure this headline was posted on web sites.Kite Hill?
It is a section of the A3054 between Fishbourne Lane (ORANGE) and Wootton Bridge.It was closed, effectively for 24 hours, from early Monday morning. Two alternative routes are available.That via Havenstreet (above map centre) can no longer take buses due to a height restriction imposed under the railway bridge at Havenstreet Station. No buses go that way; Havenstreet is unserved although in the past it had an hourly route 3 and variations.
Then the bridge was fine for double decks. It must have shrunk!
The other route involves various options via Downend
So what happened?
Southern Vectis ran a shuttle between Ryde and Fishbourne Lane every 30 min.Also operating was a shuttle from the Newport end ...... which offered an non memorable bus every 40 minutes via each route. So all intermediate passengers had a significant reduction in their service.
Meanwhile the full ten minute frequency of route 9 ran non stop between Ryde and Staplers via Brading and over the Downs.
At least four extra buses were needed for the shuttles.
And, we hear our readers' cry, "What about passengers between Ryde, Wootton and East Cowes who would normally use toute 4.
Tough cheddar!
Service 4 was cancelled completely. Through passengers from Ryde were advised to take the buses over the Downs and then back via service 5 from Newport to East Cowes, probably doubling the journey time. Passemgers from Binstead to East Cowes could either travel to Ryde then as above or ...
... tediously catch a shuttle to Fishbourne Lane, walk about a mile to the other side of the river, catch a shuttle towards Newport (every 40 minutes), alight at Binfield Corner ...
... and then cross the road for a No 5 bus to East Cowes.
This was a shameful way to cater for East Cowes residents who should have been entitled to at least their own hourly shuttle from Wootton.
Nobody whom fbb asked seemied to know who was paying for all those extra buses and drivers. It should have been BT who closed to road; it might have been the IoW County Council who allowed BT to close the road; it certainly should NOT have been Southern Vectis.
fbb has not heard any comments about whether it worked or not. Southern Vectis looked to have worked hard to inform people both on line and in the local press. Vectensians are usually very used to such horrific diversions and appeared to cope.
But, in reality, it was not much fun!
Next 'The Way Back' blog : Weds 6 Nov
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