DOI fails again

[Albert Tatlock]

Popped up Anaghcoar Spar way tonight...how long have those roadworks been going on ...got to be 2 or 3 months by now?

[WTF]

without a word of a lie  the PAVEMENT / FOOTPATH is being mowed between McGuinesses and barregarrow , that is how bad it has been allowed to get over the past years.

[Ativa]

40 minutes ago, WTF said:

without a word of a lie  the PAVEMENT / FOOTPATH is being mowed between McGuinesses and barregarrow , that is how bad it has been allowed to get over the past years.

They are probably only doing that so they can paint the kerbs.

They keep praising themselves on social media for clearing the pavements on the Douglas to Peel road (they unearthed a horse water trough they didn’t know was there ffs) rather than looking back and thinking a couple of blokes with shovels and a barrow a couple of times a year would have saved the army of men, diggers etc and traffic disruption that was required after years of neglect.

[WTF]

2 minutes ago, Ativa said:

They are probably only doing that so they can paint the kerbs.

They keep praising themselves on social media for clearing the pavements on the Douglas to Peel road (they unearthed a horse water trough they didn’t know was there ffs) rather than looking back and thinking a couple of blokes with shovels and a barrow a couple of times a year would have saved the army of men, diggers etc and traffic disruption that was required after years of neglect.

you know what the route is for the tynwald guest of honour now though.

[Dirty Buggane]

Thought the DOI were shite but who has been doing the road works at the entrance to middle river. You know at that pinch point by the power station, four weeks with traffic lights to lay 20 feet of 10" drain across the road. Days nay weeks without any prick doing any work. Like I said made the DOI look good.

[CallMeCurious]

55 minutes ago, Dirty Buggane said:

Thought the DOI were shite but who has been doing the road works at the entrance to middle river. You know at that pinch point by the power station, four weeks with traffic lights to lay 20 feet of 10" drain across the road. Days nay weeks without any prick doing any work. Like I said made the DOI look good.

MUA by any chance?

[Omobono]

1 hour ago, Ativa said:

They are probably only doing that so they can paint the kerbs.

They keep praising themselves on social media for clearing the pavements on the Douglas to Peel road (they unearthed a horse water trough they didn’t know was there ffs) rather than looking back and thinking a couple of blokes with shovels and a barrow a couple of times a year would have saved the army of men, diggers etc and traffic disruption that was required after years of neglect.

the local gangs would have never allowed  this to happen in the first place,  I am just waiting to see  some of the hedges falling down onto the footpath where they have removed so much vegetation  they have exposed the sandy soil below   which washes away  easily , they obviously don't understand erosion in the DOI 

[CallMeCurious]

2 minutes ago, Omobono said:

the local gangs would have never allowed  this to happen in the first place,  I am just waiting to see  some of the hedges falling down onto the footpath where they have removed so much vegetation  they have exposed the sandy soil below   which washes away  easily , they obviously don't understand erosion in the DOI 

Or hedge maintnenace. Never get out of thier tractors so you end up with everything cut but where the signs are (you know those things wot drivers need to see) being left in a thicket. That's if they haven't bent or twisted them round when they hit them first.

[Two-lane]

https://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/doi-plans-to-widen-footpath-607885

I assume the requirement of a full 2 metre width is because of the congestion caused by the 500,000 per year visitors trying to cram themselves down a country path.

I, me, myself, personally, would rather they fixed a pothole or two. But what do I know - obviously I am not manager material.

[Non-Believer]

16 minutes ago, Two-lane said:

https://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/doi-plans-to-widen-footpath-607885

I assume the requirement of a full 2 metre width is because of the congestion caused by the 500,000 per year visitors trying to cram themselves down a country path.

I, me, myself, personally, would rather they fixed a pothole or two. But what do I know - obviously I am not manager material.

"0.75m either side" is just a good hedge and vegetation cut, hence it "not involving any major works". Obviously what was once standard, basic upkeep is now something to make a song and dance about with a press release.

Edited April 15, 2023 by Non-Believer
Extra bit

[Two-lane]

2 hours ago, Non-Believer said:

"0.75m either side" is just a good hedge and vegetation cut, hence it "not involving any major works". Obviously what was once standard, basic upkeep is now something to make a song and dance about with a press release.

I cannot find the pubic path order in question, however there is this document:

https://www.gov.im/about-the-government/departments/infrastructure/current-and-future-projects/st-johns-to-kirk-michael-heritage-trail/

containing:

"A. The intention is to open up the Heritage Trail to as many users as possible such as walkers, runners, cyclists, horse riders, people with pushchairs, and disabled users. Signage will be updated to reflect this."

"A. In addition to the answer provided to Q.3 above, electric bicycles and mobility scooters can use the Heritage Trail. However, other vehicles such as quad bikes and scramble bikes etc cannot use the Trail."

"A. The idea is to improve the trail to provide access for all. This will require some levelling, vegetation clearance and widening of the route as well as drainage improvements."

 

[CallMeCurious]

43 minutes ago, Two-lane said:

I cannot find the pubic path order in question, however there is this document:

https://www.gov.im/about-the-government/departments/infrastructure/current-and-future-projects/st-johns-to-kirk-michael-heritage-trail/

containing:

"A. The intention is to open up the Heritage Trail to as many users as possible such as walkers, runners, cyclists, horse riders, people with pushchairs, and disabled users. Signage will be updated to reflect this."

"A. In addition to the answer provided to Q.3 above, electric bicycles and mobility scooters can use the Heritage Trail. However, other vehicles such as quad bikes and scramble bikes etc cannot use the Trail."

"A. The idea is to improve the trail to provide access for all. This will require some levelling, vegetation clearance and widening of the route as well as drainage improvements."

 

So presumably they will end up having to pave the route once it gets cut up by the bicycles and horses to make it DDA compliant for the mobility scooter/wheelchair users. Given the speeds electric bikes (and ordinary bikes) and mobility scooters can achieve will there be a speed limit?  

Not sure how you will prevent motorbikes and quads if horses and other bikes are allowed.

[CallMeCurious]

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/could-the-mer-be-extended-to-the-war-memorial/

So this is the 'master plan' eh? Guess we know why they left the huge empty space alongside the memorial ... a new MER terminal for 'commuters'. 

Presumably from Ramsey, Laxey and Groudle? I'm trying to picture any major employers or other facilites along that route? Probably only Poker Stars on Onchan Head.

Does this mean they'll bin the horse trams then? Or is this the brilliant excuse to extend the tram lines to the Sea Terminal to try and hide the costs that casued them to abandon it the first time?

No wonder they don't want the fun fair in town, the clowns on Prosepct Hill don't want the competition

Edit ~ Wonder if they'll also try to sell this as a way to free up the Derby Haven site to make the Summerland site more 'attractive to developers'?

Still trying to picture poles in the middle of the red concrete and wondering how often they'll be struck when trying to pass double parked vehicles.

Edited April 15, 2023 by CallMeCurious

[Ativa]

Do people even read the links?  They aren’t widening anything.  Pretty much the last half page is people commenting about something they haven’t read 😂

”

‘This is generally an administrative order that will officially widen the footpath to the full width of the old rail corridor.

‘The footpath is already this width along most of its length and no work is currently planned other than general maintenance.”

[Two-lane]

1 hour ago, Ativa said:

‘This is generally an administrative order that will officially widen the footpath to the full width of the old rail corridor.

‘The footpath is already this width along most of its length and no work is currently planned other than general maintenance.”

You point out that the news items says that this is merely an administrate order to officially widen the path. If the path were continued to be used as nothing more than a footpath, there would be no need to make any changes (I assume the photo in the news release is typical of the narrow sections of the path).

I have no doubt that the planned usage, as stated by the DoI and quoted by me above, is the reason the DoI wants the whole footpath to be legally 2 metres wide.

The phrase "no work is currently planned other than general maintenance" was made by a gov. official - it is therefore open to interpretation. If, at 09:00 Monday morning (plus tea-break time), there was a meeting at which it was decided to do further work on the footpath, the gov. official would still say that his previous statement was accurate.

The document I have quoted above gives a big, big, indication of what the Doi wants to do in regards to this footpath.