It’s no surprise that I am choosing to rant about this topic. I have lived on the Isle of Wight since the day I was born and I can’t say that I’ve ever been happy with the cost of travel to and from the island. It is widely regarded as the most expensive stretch of water to cross, (£’s per mile) anywhere in the world and it seems it’s not going to change any time soon either.

For a few years I worked away and that meant that in order for me to go home each weekend I had to pay out a hell of a lot of money in to do so. The ferry companies even claim that there is a discount for island residents however it seems to me that the discount only applies for the journey from the Island and not to it. Thus meaning that in fact the only real way for any islander to get a discount they would have to leave and never come back. Return journeys are about the same ‘total’ price regardless of which direction you’re travelling in.

No-one in the Council seems to have an issue with the cost, probably due to the fact that they get cheaper tickets then us standard residents. The ferry companies certainly don’t have a problem with them as they’re too busy trying to dig themselves out of their debts from buying nice shiny new boats they couldn’t afford. They’ll even charge you an extortionate amount for a brew and a slice of cake once you’re on board. As if they hadn’t made more than enough from you already with the ticket price.

It’s also unsurprising that the Council and the ever ageing island residents are against a fixed link. This is the so called ‘Eco-Island’ where the majority of the Council and residents are against actually having anything eco-friendly related here at all. After all such things as wind turbines would ruin the beautiful landscapes these people no longer visit due to their arthritis… But hey of course the council agrees with them, they’re about as useful as a glass hammer. For some bazaar reason they’re happy enough to promote the island as being green yet too scared of the aged population to do anything of any real merit that actually constitutes greenness. Hence every single time the mention of a fixed link comes up and all the old battle-axes come out of the woodwork to complain they back down instantly. There’s probably more to it in the way of corrupt politics as well I’m sure. For example I wouldn’t be surprised if the ferry companies didn’t to some extent perhaps ‘sponsor’ the council. So maybe they have a little sway room when the fixed link talks ever arise.

Personally I’m sick of it all to be honest! There’s really no reason not to have a fixed link of some sort. All the crap about it bringing unwanted visitors is a load of bull. For a start there’s a couple of pretty nasty prisons on the island. So once the people there have got out and can’t actually afford to leave or they’ve been there that long that their family have all moved to the island anyway, they just stay here. If anything the cost of the ferries only helps to keep such unwanted people from leaving! As for wanting to keep more crazies from coming over if there was a fixed link, you simply allow island residents to apply for a residents pass. Which they’d need to provide proof of residency to get of course. Then you charge pass holders say £5 to cross and everyone else pays the same as they would on the ferry.

There! I did it, and it only took me about 2 minutes to come up with that solution. You see in my mind the people that visit the island will always want to visit the island and if they’re already happy to re-mortgage their houses to do so then there’s no need to change that. The residents however don’t really have a choice and as we’re the ones that for the most part are actually funding the local economy by paying taxes and buying bread and milk etc.. from the local shops then I think it’s totally unacceptable to extort us.

Now I know what you’re thinking, why don’t you just move away? Well there is that option, however why should I have to move away? I love the slow life of the island and I feel safe living and raising my children here. Plus if I did ever want to move I’d have to make sure I did it all in one trip or I’d never have enough money to buy somewhere else to live in the first place! At the very least the cost of ferry travel for island residents should be nowhere near as expensive as it is, in any direction! But in my opinion what we are really crying out for is a fixed link. The Isle of Wight would be literally the best place to live if it only cost £5 toll and took 15 minutes to get to Portsmouth rather than costing £50+ and taking an hour at least. Of course there’s the passenger ferry but even that will cost you at least £14 and that’s off peak, winter fares. Then if you need to go anywhere the other side you’ll have to pay more again and if you’re ever thinking of travelling in the summer you really might want to think again!

As for the fixed link. The extra attention that it would provide would undoubtedly make people want to come and check it out. Hence bringing more tourists and revenue to the island. If the link was designed cleverly, environmentally friendly and in a way that kept costs to the tax payer at a minimum as well then it could easily become a national landmark. Boosting tourism and revenue to the island even more. If anything the real question everyone should be asking should be “how exactly are the Isle of Wight ferries better for me?” and when nobody can give you a straight answer you’ll soon come to realise that the truth is, they’re not!