LETTERSFrom George Bristow, Brading:
Andrew Turner MP seeks assurances the new owners of Red Funnel must guarantee lower fares and more regular and later crossings, this is good news and shows he understands how important the link to the Island is.
He should therefore be a supporter of a fixed-link as this guarantees lower fares all year round, 24-hour crossings, a turn-up-and-go service and a 15-minute crossing time.
The link will also be able to offer 'intelligent’ pricing, enabling traffic flow to be smoothed by, for example, offering discounted rates to HGVs say between 6am and 7am, as well as offering special day-return fares to boost visitor numbers in the off season.
It is estimated a fixed ferry will boost GDP by about 30 per cent (£300 million per year increase), which in turn will create more than 10,000 jobs, a prize worth securing.
The damage caused by relying on outdated technology to cross a short piece of water benefits no one on the Island.
I understand the govern-ment will look closely at funding the new link provided our elected representatives offer their support, something they are strangely reluctant to do.
Therefore, at the next election, someone needs to put themselves forward to show Westminster the support there is on the Island for the one measure that arrests our current decline.