Promenade - Megathread

[LightBulb]

22 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

According to an FoI earlier this year:

More than £3.3m has been spent on track renewals on the Manx Electric Railway over the last three years.

Figures released under Freedom of Information show that a further £1.6m is due to be spent this year.

So about £5 million to 'renew' a heritage railway (which of course then stops it being a heritage railway, judging by what came out over the keyworkers and what they did).  From that article this seems to be designed to go on forever at around £1 million a year, though nowhere does it state why this 'renewal', rather than normal maintenance, is needed.

As with practically everything to do with the DoI this seems to be entirely about spending money and giving contracts to the right people.

Just out of interest, what is the income of the MER ?,  i assume the revenue / income / profit, is considerable higher than the costs of track renewals / outgoings / running costs, making it a viable / profitable business ?

[Hmmmm]

2 hours ago, Banker said:

There’s a few who think rules don’t apply to them like the builders lorry going the wrong way up cronkbourne avenue this morning presumably to save going through traffic lights 

Take it you mean Cronkbourne Road? the avenue is two way.

1 hour ago, Chie said:

I don't like it honestly. For the millions and millions spent on it, I think it looks grotty and shoddy, not particularly pleasant to look at and is a far cry from the crisp looking design promised to us in the design plans. I think Auldyn are a joke. Half the time you drive along the prom you have six builders all stood around having a conference with the one builder that is actually doing any work. And that's not including the majority of the project where you were lucky to see even a single builder. It is now officially the Governments and Auldyns biggest embarrassment and in my personal opinion instead of offering bonuses they should be fining those responsible with an increasing fine for each day they are over due without good reason.

What I would have liked to see is something similar to Exeter city centre. Actual paved bricks used in the road, coloured if needed, instead of the tacky looking red tarmac. For the money spent on this project so far we should have a promenade that we can be proud of. Not an average expensive mess where the end result is a bunch of executives all stood around shaking each others d*** for a "job well done".

have to agree the finish is not particularly good given the amount of time it has taken. Seemed to be a last minute rush to get it open.  It lacks a sharpness, particularly the central pink concrete line, and the crossing points looked like they need a good clean and spruce up when they first opened the roadway.  

[The Dog's Dangly Bits]

11 minutes ago, LightBulb said:

Just out of interest, what is the income of the MER ?,  i assume the revenue / income / profit, is considerable higher than the costs of track renewals / outgoings / running costs, making it a viable / profitable business ?

Why would it be? That's just stupid.

It's a heritage item.  If we only ran things thay made a profit there would be no heritage attractions at all.  And in a wider sense no bus service at all and probably no sports facilities.

[TheTeapot]

Or libraries

[Roger Mexico]

21 minutes ago, LightBulb said:

Just out of interest, what is the income of the MER ?,  i assume the revenue / income / profit, is considerable higher than the costs of track renewals / outgoings / running costs, making it a viable / profitable business ?

No one reads the links do they?  The IOM Newspapers story actually gives the figures involved and of course they're considerably less than they are spending on the renewal, never mind the actual running costs.

Incidentally if you look at the revenue said to be for the MER in that article, the actual FoI says it also includes the Mountain Railway as well (which this spending doesn't apply to) so it will be even less in the way of earnings from the MER alone.

[Two-lane]

On 11/29/2020 at 7:05 PM, Scotty said:

Even what is open now is not finished in every detail. I am sure you shouldn’t worry too much, it will be alright on the night.

Sometimes things that look  good on paper unfortunately turn out to be somewhat different when real people turn up and change concept to reality.

 

[ellanvannin2010]

They were breaking up some of the red concrete by the tram tracks near Summerhill this afternoon.

Hope it is not all going to have to be removed

[The Dog's Dangly Bits]

54 minutes ago, TheTeapot said:

Or libraries

True. Plus they're a great place to doss.  

[Banker]

Slightly off topic but has anyone been upto hospital recently? The parking situation is a nightmare, there’s cars left everywhere, on pavement outside entrance, in the spaces reserved for patients transfer, the car park is the same, cars parked on the junction etc all day. 
I have been visiting regularly and today had to park down by vagabond clubhouse.

When you go at weekends it’s quiet so what’s going on? Traffic wardens and disc parking required urgently 

[Andy Onchan]

17 minutes ago, Banker said:

Slightly off topic but has anyone been upto hospital recently? The parking situation is a nightmare, there’s cars left everywhere, on pavement outside entrance, in the spaces reserved for patients transfer, the car park is the same, cars parked on the junction etc all day. 
I have been visiting regularly and today had to park down by vagabond clubhouse.

When you go at weekends it’s quiet so what’s going on? Traffic wardens and disc parking required urgently 

Mostly staff. But when I ask some said staff where they park their car none of them say the main car park. When there last Tuesday at 08:30 for blood tests it was already full. Once inside the hospital there was, literally, no one there corridors empty with only one other person in the blood clinic and zero waiting in the radiology.

[Banker]

2 minutes ago, Andy Onchan said:

Mostly staff. But when I ask some said staff where they park their car none of them say the main car park. When there last Tuesday at 08:30 for blood tests it was already full. Once inside the hospital there was, literally, no one there corridors empty with only one other person in the blood clinic and zero waiting in the radiology.

If it is staff and it’s quieter at weekends , assume it’s administrative staff as seems same amount of medical staff on at weekends and if so they should be told to use overflow car park. However I doubt there the ones on pavements etc outside entrance 

[Happier diner]

57 minutes ago, Two-lane said:

Sometimes things that look  good on paper unfortunately turn out to be somewhat different when real people turn up and change concept to reality.

 

The cones are because no one can be arsed to enforce the law, not because there is anything wrong with the design. 

[Happier diner]

28 minutes ago, Banker said:

Slightly off topic but has anyone been upto hospital recently? The parking situation is a nightmare, there’s cars left everywhere, on pavement outside entrance, in the spaces reserved for patients transfer, the car park is the same, cars parked on the junction etc all day. 
I have been visiting regularly and today had to park down by vagabond clubhouse.

When you go at weekends it’s quiet so what’s going on? Traffic wardens and disc parking required urgently 

What traffic wardens? They have all gone missing in action

[AlanShimmin]

1 hour ago, ellanvannin2010 said:

They were breaking up some of the red concrete by the tram tracks near Summerhill this afternoon.

Hope it is not all going to have to be removed

Hopefully they lift it and replace it with tarmac. 

The magic fix that Baker has been going about might fix it, but it will look naff. Just lift it and tarmac it.

[quilp]

1 hour ago, Banker said:

Slightly off topic but has anyone been upto hospital recently? The parking situation is a nightmare, there’s cars left everywhere, on pavement outside entrance, in the spaces reserved for patients transfer, the car park is the same, cars parked on the junction etc all day...

Was doing some maintenance on the outside lighting early one morning, in that car park, and watched as half a dozen people parked their cars and went to the bus stop. They were just the ones I'd spotted.

I reported it but nothing was actioned.