Track Maintenance
Campaigning
After a member made a freedom of information request we have gained a better understanding of how the contract works between IWC and Island Roads with regards the maintenance of the cycle tracks. Like many of you we have become very concerned at the state of the tracks, as they are not only used by a large number of residents but visitors too. In October the Red Squirrel Trail was featured in the Guardian as one of the 10 Best Cycle Trails in Britain. Thinking of the state of the track at Merstone it would be like inviting your friend round to your house and the first thing they saw were lots of holes in the carpet which had the potential to trip them up. In our view there are three issues. 1. The inspection process, results and how they are acted upon by Island Roads. 2. The difference in approach to sealed and unsealed surfaces. 3. The issue that funding appears to be needed by IWC to repair the shortcomings in the surface. Maintenance standards are based on an aggregate score for a whole area so sections in poor condition are not necessarily repaired as overall the area meets the 'score' of the contract. From our correspondence the Council is seeking funding to bring the poor sections up to an acceptable standard. We are seeking further clarification at the time of the writing of the newsletter. We have asked, as before, to accompany an inspection to better understand the criteria as none of the sections failed.