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Safety and trade fears over roadwork diversion

Emily Hudson
Isle of Wight political reporter
BBC A man with black glasses and a beard leans on a wooden bar with the optics and beer taps behindBBC
Pub landlord Matt Westwood fears people will chose to stay elsewhere during the works

A major route on the Isle of Wight will be closed one-way to traffic for up to two months from Monday.

The diversion route for vehicles travelling northbound from Newport to Cowes is more than seven miles. The southbound side will remain open.

The closure is needed to widen Horsebridge Hill and install a junction to a new estate, which Isle of Wight Council said would provide "much-needed" social housing.

But residents are concerned the diversion creates "an accident waiting to happen", with cars forced on to narrow residential roads without pavements.

Isle of Wight Council The map shows three lines, red, blue and yellow. The blue line shows traffic can drive southbound on Cowes Road. The red line shows the diversion along Forest Road, Whitehouse Road, Rolls Hill and Pallance Road for northbound traffic. The yellow line shows a local traffic route to Cowes for those who live north of the development site.Isle of Wight Council
The diversion route for traffic heading north is nearly eight miles

Resident Jon Davis said: "Traffic from Newport will have to turn right into Whitehouse Road against fast-moving oncoming traffic from Yarmouth, which is a very dangerous junction, I have had some near-misses here."

The council said the route was drawn up by a traffic safety control officer who considered the width and classification of the road.

"The diversion route will be monitored throughout... and any additions will be made if required," a spokeswoman said.

"[It] is on existing roads that already have no pavements; therefore, pedestrians are advised, as they are with all routes with no pavements, to follow the Highway Code... to ensure their own personal safety."

Picture shows a building site, with a road in the foreground.
The new junction will provide access to the Horsebridge Hill development

Matthew Westwood, landlord of the Stag Inn on Cowes Road, has raised concerns about the potential fall in trade because customers would be stuck in traffic.

"We have regular bookers, contractors, who are here several nights a week who are thinking of staying elsewhere to avoid the chaos of the extra traffic," he said.

"It's heartbreaking to hear when businesses are already struggling."

Buses and emergency vehicles will be permitted to travel northbound throughout the works.

"If the road can be open for them, it makes sense to put temporary traffic lights in for all vehicles," Mr Westwood added.

But Isle of Wight Council said traffic lights would cause more disruption and make the working environment less safe for the crews.

It added a crew member would be onsite to help buses get through, particularly to help commuters and children getting to school, especially during exams.

It urged people to switch their car for the bus during the works.

The road will reopen for the duration of the Isle of Wight Festival in June.

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