A business owner in Ramsey has called out the Department of Infrastructure for the lack of work being done on the Mountain Road.
The Mountain Road is closed for five weeks whilst the DoI undertake drainage works.
After the first week of the closure the business owner decided to check on the progress of the works for themselves.
They put a drone up and found “nothing more than a coned-off concrete block by the roadside” saying “there’s literally no other evidence of work being done”.
Mountain Closure
Posting on social media, Paul Davies said: “It seems that as island residents, we’re deemed incapable of obeying traffic calming measures, leading to the outright closure of the mountain road.
“Yet, curiously, if you’re part of a visiting car club, driving past a coned-off concrete block presents no issue at all. While I’m delighted to have moved to this wonderful island, I find myself despairing at some of the decisions made by the civil service.
“This situation isn’t just detrimental to Ramsey businesses; I’m certain it impacts those in Douglas too. Moreover, the increased traffic caused by the closure must be a significant inconvenience for residents in villages like Onchan and Douglas.”
Critical Concern
Davies also highlighted issues that the closure creates for the emergency services, he said: “I even spoke to a retained firefighter in Ramsey who highlighted a critical concern: “Imagine if we needed the turntable!”
“Apparently, the turntable is the huge ladder truck that, if required for a tall block of flats, would have to take the considerably longer coast road, adding a substantial amount of time to a potential rescue effort. It’s frankly bonkers!
“Come on, Department of Infrastructure (DOI), give the Isle of Man residents some credit. Instead of outright closures, introduce effective traffic calming measures when undertaking works on the mountain road.”
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