Isle of Man Government has installed a pedestrian crossing at the Quarterbridge in Douglas, across New Castletown Road, as part of the Active Travel Strategy. The new crossing links the Heritage Trail to Douglas.
There were several issues involved in attempting to cross at the Quarterbridge from the Heritage Trail. These included multiple lanes of traffic on a busy section of road, with poor visibility, in particular when crossing towards Douglas. The new crossing will provide a safe crossing point for those actively travelling in and out of Douglas and for those using the Heritage Trail for recreational purposes.
Infrastructure Minister Tim Baker MHK said:
‘This is a great step forward to encourage active travel into Douglas by providing a much-needed safe crossing point. Particularly, whilst public transport has been limited and the Island has enjoyed nice weather in recent weeks usage of the Heritage Trail has increased.
‘Cyclists and walkers can use safe dedicated paths, lanes and crossings throughout the majority of their journey between Peel and Douglas. The Quarterbridge has been a key area that needed addressing. The Heritage Trail provides a great, safe environment that will encourage active travel, particularly as not everyone will feel confident enough to cycle on the main roads.’
The benefits of actively travelling all or part of a journey include improvements to personal health and wellbeing, improved air quality, reduction in congestion, saving on parking costs and aligning with the Government’s commitment to tackle climate change by lowering emissions.
