Promenade - Megathread

[Roger Mexico]

13 minutes ago, kevster said:

Yes, there are a few manufacturers, with different styles, but perch seating is pretty much standard

A quick google shows a dozen and I didn't even look beyond the first page and all offer a wide range of seating options among other variables.  Though that's probably more research on it than the DoI has in a decade.

19 minutes ago, 0bserver said:

The Prom is next door to Bedsit Land so it's probably wholly appropriate to have them designed for such things. 

Except that it's the same design over most of the Island.  And given that the Prom has loads of benches suitable for sitting/lying on, some even in shelters, (what with it being a Promenade), there's not a shortage of alternatives anyway.

16 minutes ago, Two-lane said:

No-one has mentioned the atrocious colour scheme of the bus shelters - green, yellow and rust - a particularly vomit inducing combination. There is no shortage of bad taste in the gov. - look at the promenade colour scheme - black, white, puce, blue, cyan, magenta. About the only thing missing is a bit of lilac bunting - anybody got a bit of material that could be used?

Gotta use all those crayons up!

What gets me about the current, favoured model is how quickly it seems to seems to end up looking tatty.  Though I suppose that means they match the rest of the Prom works.

[Happier diner]

53 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

This is a good example of the warped thinking that dominates Manx government policy.  We must do exactly what the UK does, even though things are completely different here.  So bus shelters must be made uncomfortable for everyone to deter wholly imaginary alcoholics and drug addicts.  Is every flat surface on the Island covered with such people?  Is this a problem in other potential places for rough sleepers?  Ted the Tramp was donkey's years ago and we're still talking about him.  And he had to work hard to stay homeless.

Anyone in such a drugged or drunken state, at any time of day or night will usually be spotted by passers-by, police will be called, enquiries about possible health problems made, advice or even assistance home offered.  Sometimes followed by arrest if the person kicks off instead of accepting it.  You see cases like this in the paper all the time.

So this is a situation that doesn't exist and yet the public must be inconvenienced because it does in the imagination of those who are supposed to provide services for them.  The only thing that matters is imitating the colonial masters (even if they themselves might do something different in different circumstances).  We pay civil servants as if they were high-flyers in much larger counties and they are incapable of doing anything except copy and paste.  Anyone who attempts independent thought, such as Ranson, is ostracised and attacked as top priority.

But apart from that, it's not such a bad place after all. 

[ellanvannin2010]

34 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

A quick google shows a dozen and I didn't even look beyond the first page and all offer a wide range of seating options among other variables.  Though that's probably more research on it than the DoI has in a decade.

Except that it's the same design over most of the Island.  And given that the Prom has loads of benches suitable for sitting/lying on, some even in shelters, (what with it being a Promenade), there's not a shortage of alternatives anyway.

Gotta use all those crayons up!

What gets me about the current, favoured model is how quickly it seems to seems to end up looking tatty.  Though I suppose that means they match the rest of the Prom works.

 I think the majority of the green/yellow Macemain Amstad shelters were bought when David Howard was the director of transport at  IOM Transport. He left in 2006 so it is no surprise really that some are now looking a bit shabby. The prom ones were painted black at a later date for some reason.

There may be of course a rolling program of replacements as necessary or even maintenance.

Edited September 6, 2022 by ellanvannin2010

[offshoremanxman]

13 minutes ago, ellanvannin2010 said:

 I think the majority of the green/yellow shelters were bought when David Howard was the director of transport at  IOM Transport. He left in 2006 so it is no surprise really they are looking a bit shabby. The prom ones were painted black at a later date for some reason.

There may be of course a rolling program of replacements as necessary or even maintenance.

Yes, to save money they simply unbolted them, stored them, and then re used them. So they put horrible rusty old shelters that were now completely the wrong colour back on the prom to save a few quid on a £25M project. It’s embarrassing. 

Edited September 6, 2022 by offshoremanxman

[Two-lane]

Bus stop seat:

 

[Kopek]

Surely we can put up with crappy bus shelters if it allows our Govt to spend 25 mil on reducing waiting times in our \nhs???

[Two-lane]

8 minutes ago, Kopek said:

Surely we can put up with crappy bus shelters if it allows our Govt to spend 25 mil on reducing waiting times in our \nhs???

Absolutely. Surely we can put up with bumpy roads is it reduces NHS waiting times -

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/regeneration-of-east-quay-in-peel-begins/

Not to mention £30 million to resurface 1.5 miles of road.

The latest medical problem to hit the headlines is midwifery - yes, that is more important than anything the DoI is involved in.

[Manx Resident]

Watched an old episode of Yes Prime Minister. At one point a character quotes the three tenets of the Civil Service, it takes longer to do something quickly, it is more expensive to do something cheaply and it is democracy to do things in secret. The episode could have been written with the Promenade and other schemes in mind.

[MadAsHell]

31 minutes ago, Manx Resident said:

Watched an old episode of Yes Prime Minister. At one point a character quotes the three tenets of the Civil Service, it takes longer to do something quickly, it is more expensive to do something cheaply and it is democracy to do things in secret. The episode could have been written with the Promenade and other schemes in mind.

Very droll

[Turtleish]

I think that it will have to be signed off v soon! All of auldyns ground staff have been given notice of company winding up in 2 months. So a couple of guys working for them have told me. 

[The Phantom]

14 minutes ago, Turtleish said:

I think that it will have to be signed off v soon! All of auldyns ground staff have been given notice of company winding up in 2 months. So a couple of guys working for them have told me. 

That's weird.  Is it not Auldyn that is doing the project?  Or do they set up a new company for each project and then wind it up once completed and signed off?  If that is the case, surely this is a way for them to somehow dodge any responsibility and literally do a runner once it's all finished.  If there are problems after sign-off and company has to answer or rectify, they could just say 'sorry the company does not exist anymore'. 

Or is Auldyn itself closing down? 

[Turtleish]

7 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

 

Or is Auldyn itself closing down? 

That's what I'm hearing.  

2 guys from auldyn are now working for my company... 

Edited September 8, 2022 by Turtleish
Extra bit

[The Phantom]

1 hour ago, Turtleish said:

That's what I'm hearing.  

2 guys from auldyn are now working for my company... 

Yeah that's definitely suspicious if they were the main contractor and a shutting down as soon sign off is received, making any recourse against them not exactly straight forward.  Unless of course the Auldyn owners have been planning exit/retirement for a longtime - but I would have thought they'd at least try and sell it first. 

[Non-Believer]

This is purely my personal opinion but Chris Thomas' recent edict that there had been no misuse of public funds during the Promenade project was obviously the first in a few coats of whitewash for this farrago.

Given that the project "result" is patently not what was touted at the outset (nor has been all along, nor has been what the taxpayers have paid for) and questions over allotted expenditures have remained unanswered during that time, IMHO certain people are wanting to draw a broad black line under this business regardless of what the taxpayers are left to countenance on Douglas seafront.

Edited September 8, 2022 by Non-Believer
Typo

[Roger Mexico]

1 hour ago, Turtleish said:

1 hour ago, The Phantom said:

Or is Auldyn itself closing down? 

That's what I'm hearing.  

2 guys from auldyn are now working for my company... 

Never mind.  I'm sure the DoI and AGC will have all the legal assurances and financial bonds to ensure that all contractual obligations are fulfilled without any extra cost to the taxpayer.