Banning traffic from towns

[CallMeCurious]

4 hours ago, Broadcasterman said:

It seems that there is a lot of effort currently being applied to put up barriers and pedestrianize places like North Quay and other areas of central Douglas as evidenced by the plans published by the DOI a few weeks ago to turn several roads around Ballakermeen into cycling only or blocked off home zones. Yet at the same time there’s more and more news coverage around businesses going bust because they aren’t getting the trade anymore as local councils have made it too difficult to park anywhere near

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/23548529.florence-pughs-father-loses-bar-blames-ltns-stress/

https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/cut-off-london-neighbourhood-cameras-26577418

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/widespread-parking-restrictions-seaside-town-29382381

https://www.yellowad.co.uk/brentwood-parking-ban-a-death-sentence-for-trade/

Surely there should be a lot more public engagement on this sort of thing? Not least because the people paying business rates are also the same people funding a lot of these local town hall nutters who want the streets purged of everything in order to satisfy their end of the world fears. North Quay was dead this lunchtime on one of the hottest days of the year. You have to wonder what actual function it serves if nobody can drive down it but also nobody wants to walk or sit out in it either. Yes in the evenings on a hot night it might get busy for a few hours but for most of the day/week it seems absolutely dismal yet they still seem to be pushing more restrictions.

 

😆 That's a good one. Got any more?

 

 

[WTF]

Just now, offshoremanxman said:

It’s rammed down there now but it’s a pub and the suns out. It’s always been rammed outside the Bridge and the British on a hot day it’s literally got bugger all to do with the road being closed or not. 

but when saddo councilors are looking to take credit for something that changed nothing you have to let them spout off about it.

[Dirty Buggane]

I remember when the whole of the promenade from one end to the other was fuller than that, okay a bit quieter at the north end. And fuck all to do with no traffic. 

[Two-lane]

13 minutes ago, Dirty Buggane said:

I remember when the whole of the promenade from one end to the other was fuller than that, okay a bit quieter at the north end. And fuck all to do with no traffic. 

A group of Swiss bikers doing synchronised doughnuts. My children thought that was good fun to watch. You can't do that kind of thing anymore. It would spoil the pink concrete.

[Dirty Buggane]

£15,000 for a barrier that will fuck up cost three times as much to fix, all because they will not pay a man £30 overtime for an hour in the afternoon to put out a sign and two barriers.

[Capt_Mainwaring]

6 hours ago, hissingsid said:

I think the free space is a good idea people need to use their legs a bit more.

Couldn't agree more. The British and Manx are a bunch of lazy sods with everything revolving round the car. Recently back from Europe and it's amazing the difference. Public transport, bikes, scooters. God forbid even walking. Still plenty of options for those with accessibility needs. Less stressed people, cleaner air and no streets cluttered with cars.

[Two-lane]

45 minutes ago, Dirty Buggane said:

all because they will not pay a man £30 overtime for an hour in the afternoon to put out a sign and two barriers.

Why is it necessary to have a physical barrier? A sign that says "Closed between the hours of..." should be sufficient.

[BriT]

3 hours ago, Dirty Buggane said:

£15,000 for a barrier that will fuck up cost three times as much to fix, all because they will not pay a man £30 overtime for an hour in the afternoon to put out a sign and two barriers.

But it seems that our capital city appears to need a few pointless projects like this to keep its councillors busy with. Or more importantly to keep their Facebook or Twitter feed full of crap they can claim credit for. Normally the quay is empty. Tonight it was busy as it was sunny and it’s a pay day and it’s a bank holiday weekend. If it was 1988 and the road was still there and it was sunny, and a pay day, and a bank holiday weekend it would have been just as busy. In fact there would probably have been even more people back then when it was 50p a pint. But that doesn’t seem to fit the narrative of a few idiot town hall Toby jugs. 

[Ativa]

5 hours ago, Amadeus said:

I voted for the closure of north quay and am on record as saying that it should be permanently pedestrianised. This is why: 

 

For info, there were more people than that outside The Bridge which is just up the road and not pedestrianised 

[Dr Beeching]

46 minutes ago, Ativa said:

For info, there were more people than that outside The Bridge which is just up the road and not pedestrianised 

Thanks, Andrew.

[Dr Beeching]

6 hours ago, Amadeus said:

I voted for the closure of north quay and am on record as saying that it should be permanently pedestrianised. This is why: 

 

Yes, because it will be just as busy on a cold, dark Tuesday night in Novemeber as it is on a Friday payday that falls on a May bank holiday that also happens to have been the warmest day of the year (so far). 

[Non-Believer]

12 hours ago, Shake me up Judy said:

That's just a load of people standing in the road. Explain how that is any sort of argument. You should've been here when we had real crowds all over Douglas half the year round.

And TT periods like this...

 

 

[Ativa]

6 hours ago, Dr Beeching said:

Thanks, Andrew.

Thanks Andrew?

Why would he be posting something that directly contradicts the rubbish he posted on Twitter about the pedestrianisation being a success.

You tuna melt.

[Augustus]

14 hours ago, Amadeus said:

I voted for the closure of north quay and am on record as saying that it should be permanently pedestrianised. This is why: 

 

That's pathetic. I am one of the crowd in the photo. We only went down to take advantage of the brilliant weather. The thought of a pedestrianised road didn't even enter our heads. Not too many days like yesterday in the Isle of Man.

[ian rush]

20 hours ago, Broadcasterman said:

It seems that there is a lot of effort currently being applied to put up barriers and pedestrianize places like North Quay and other areas of central Douglas as evidenced by the plans published by the DOI a few weeks ago to turn several roads around Ballakermeen into cycling only or blocked off home zones. Yet at the same time there’s more and more news coverage around businesses going bust because they aren’t getting the trade anymore as local councils have made it too difficult to park anywhere near

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/23548529.florence-pughs-father-loses-bar-blames-ltns-stress/

https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/cut-off-london-neighbourhood-cameras-26577418

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/widespread-parking-restrictions-seaside-town-29382381

https://www.yellowad.co.uk/brentwood-parking-ban-a-death-sentence-for-trade/

Surely there should be a lot more public engagement on this sort of thing? Not least because the people paying business rates are also the same people funding a lot of these local town hall nutters who want the streets purged of everything in order to satisfy their end of the world fears. North Quay was dead this lunchtime on one of the hottest days of the year. You have to wonder what actual function it serves if nobody can drive down it but also nobody wants to walk or sit out in it either. Yes in the evenings on a hot night it might get busy for a few hours but for most of the day/week it seems absolutely dismal yet they still seem to be pushing more restrictions.

Bollocks was it dead. I was there. Every eatery and pub had people outside and loads just strolling. What should it be? Another load of diagonal parking?