Newsbot Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 The Isle of Man's Mountain Road will be made one-way during this year's centenary TT festival, the government says. Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/...man/6541513.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Login Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 I see that they state this is to improve safety. I am sorry but I really believe this has been introduced for the benefit of the visiting motorcyclists so they can have a "blast" as if safety and the convenience of the majority was the main concern it would be one way from the Creg to Ramsey i.e. the opposite way to which the course is run. Being one way the "wrong way" would have probably reduced the numbers using the road as a race track but also it would also have made the road available when it is most needed. i.e. the five o'clock exit from work before the roads closed in practice week. This is especially the case with the Peel Bay festival on as this will lead to much more conjestion on the way to Ballacraine than normal so the only way home up North will really be via Laxey. If the Mountain Road was one way to Ramsey at least those going North or even to Kirk Michael could have got out of Douglas quickly before the roads close and not got caught up in the Peel Bay traffic. In the morning having the Mountain Road to help get traffic into Douglas is less of an issue as traffic into Douglas is more staggered, but also you do not have the road closing deadline and nor will there be a stream of traffic clooging up the Road to our from the Peel Bay Festival The Isle of Man's Mountain Road will be made one-way during this year's centenary TT festival, the government says. Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/...man/6541513.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxman8180 Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 It's a half hearted, ill conceived compromise by our lilly livered politicians again. How the fuck Quayle ever got to be a freakin Minister is beyond me. The man has the get up and go of a dead sloth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overdose Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 To be fair I think it's a great idea. If visiting riders want to kill themselves by riding like lunatics then I'd rather they didn't have the chance to wipe out a mother and child on the way home from the Tesco's shop. And if it's policed properly then all the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcCann Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 I bet anyone in need of an organ transplant is well chuffed. There should be plenty to go round come June Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 If the speed merchants kept to the mountain road no problem but they also speed along the rest of the course - if TT fortnight turns out wet then I suspect it will be like a few years ago when I counted 3 bikers having collided or otherwise off their bikes in the short stretch from Ballacraine to Douglas whilst going in on the bus. Luckily I intend to be in France this year over TT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Login Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Fair enough. I am not a huge fan of the TT and the death and devestation it causes. That is both at the TT and other times of the year when some bikers on a nice weekend ride round the course like lunatics. If it was not the TT course then less of these idiots would be attrcted to the roads here. But if they are going to smash themselves as you say I am much happier it is just themselves rather than as you say a mothere & child. My main gripe is with the politicians in that they should have just shown some balls, made the decision and announced it. To have a consoltation and then mutter about it being a safety issue when in reality the "safety issue" I feel generally comes a poor second in consideration to the TT or the visitors is fairly disingenous. To be fair I think it's a great idea. If visiting riders want to kill themselves by riding like lunatics then I'd rather they didn't have the chance to wipe out a mother and child on the way home from the Tesco's shop. And if it's policed properly then all the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 "The suggestion was made by the emergency services" says it all for me - these guys have years of experience of dealing with this. I'm for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Login Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 I think they were also in support of an all Island Speed Limit so presumably you are for that as well? Presunmably you are also now backing those with "years of experience" in respect of climate change 9/11 and passive smoking? "The suggestion was made by the emergency services" says it all for me - these guys have years of experience of dealing with this. I'm for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 I think they were also in support of an all Island Speed Limit so presumably you are for that as well? Presunmably you are also now backing those with "years of experience" in respect of climate change 9/11 and passive smoking? "The suggestion was made by the emergency services" says it all for me - these guys have years of experience of dealing with this. I'm for it! Funny enough - no. It's pretty much a commonsense move this. Anyone disagreeing with this, IMHO, is clearly not thinking this out in terms of past accidents on this part of the course - most of which have tended to occur by people crossing the white line. Yeh I know - but blah blah - but face up to it - this always happens in TT week. Also this year there will be lots more bikes - which will make a significant difference to the volume of traffic on the mountain road . Even if it's not the drivers fault when some biker ends up in the passenger seat of his oncoming van/truck - just because the driver wants to be assertive and drive against the bike traffic - won't make the result any easier for the driver to live with. I can guarantee you that on this island there are already people that wish they had not taken that route to Ramsey during TT week. Plus, dream-on if you don't think the mountain won't be patrolled by numerous coppers. As to agreeing with the emergency services on speed etc. - if you remember a certain LegCo member produced a load of data that disproved that accidents were purely down to speed. It's also wrong of you to infer that all staff of the emergency services agreed with a speed limit. If I didn't think they knew what they were talking about in some instances - then following your mind-boggaling-fuzzy-logic I wouldn't even let them treat me after an accident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggle Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 I'm all for a bit of hard driving/riding and love mad Sunday but I'm afraid I can't see any sense in what they are doing with this one way thing. It's going to carnage up there this year. Put the inconvenience of taking the scenic route to one side for a moment. With the road being two way people know that if you run wide, there is a fairly good chance you're going to be collected by something big. People who ride like loons, even if they don't give a squat, will have this in their minds as they aim their bike over the mountain, occasionally they will screw up and hit someone, most of the time they'll clear the mountain probably with soiled pants. Madsunday, with it being one way is a different story. One day out the two weeks you have the option to cane the tits off your bike without the need to worry about what’s about to hit you but you will still have that tingly feeling when you nail it round a corner and use the whole road. Six or seven laps later, if you haven't fallen off the tarmac, you'll be sitting at Bushys drinking warm beer out of plastic cups boasting to your mates. Occasionally they will screw up and run out of road, most of the time they'll clear the mountain, probably with soiled pants. Now imagine having this everyday for two weeks. You can start your holiday off in standard madsunday mode. Put in six or seven laps during the day, soil your pants etc. As the days pass and the laps clock up, the inevitable will happen. There will be a hell of a lot of accidents up on the mountain this year. Ok, no head-ons with wagons and cars but the bikers (and locals) will be falling off the mountain carrying a lot of speed due to them "knowing" the roads after having lapped it dozens of times the previous days. And yes, I made my concerns known to the DoT during the consultation jobbie. I suspect that if there is a considerable increase in accidents this year, and I hope I'm proved very wrong, it may be the final nail in the IOM TT coffin. It would be nice to round it all up on the centenary year wouldn’t it? Will I be lapping the mountain this year? It wood be rude not to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skig Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Pity the poor folk who live on or near the coast road between Douglas and Ramsey. Also can just see the "anti IOM" UK gutter press headlines if a few idiots kill themselves on the Mountain - "IOM Government encourage bikers to kill themselves". I do hope I'm wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavsta Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Hello, Just read the news about the mountain road and I think its a superb idea. Its going to be so busy on the roads that having an “open limit” road two ways would cause so many accidents that this was the only sensible way to tackle the issue. I realise that there are some people that will complain about having to get from Douglas to Ramsey, but most people won’t be going in that direction, so it will make little difference. Well done to the DOT! Regards, Gavin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyboarder Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 most of the time they'll clear the mountain, probably with soiled pants. Haven't all bikers got soiled pants anyway? They certainly smell like they have... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddBod Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 For every action there is a reaction! If 19,000 bikers travel One Way from Ramsey to Douglas (Seemingly safer due to no head on collisions) Although i think rear end high speed shunts would not be any less painful or deadly? It follows that 19,000 Bikers need to get back to Ramsey to once again take another blast across there Goverment Licensed Racetrack (Sorry meant Safer One Way System) It would also follow or as a reasonable person may assume that the percentage of Head On Collisions that annually occur on the Dgls - B/Craine - Kirk Michael & Dgls - Laxey - Ramsey routes will increase. Will the goverment be forthcoming with the figures following the TT as to whether the percentages of crashes on the other parts of the circuit have in fact risen, simply moving the accidents from the mountain onto other parts of the circuit or will they as i believe blame any increase in accidents on the increased volume of bikers. Finally when we have the enevitable accident on the mountain and the road is shut for the standard minimum 3 hours while the tape measures are out all the bikes who have filtered north to use the one way system will have to make there way back to douglas etc going head on into all the traffic still heading up to Ramsey because they have not listened to there radio's. I do not think the goverments decision solves a problem it just moves it. I hope i am wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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