THE horse trams which run along the Douglas Promenades could be relocated to improve the safety of users and to reduce congestion in the area.
The Department of Infrastructure has said it is working with Douglas Corporation and the Department of Community, Culture and Leisure to progress ideas on moving the tracks from the centre of the carriageway.
It follows a public consultation on the future of the Douglas Promenades which took place earlier this year.
452 responses were received to the consultation document with 64 per cent of respondents stating that they would like to see the tramway relocated to one side of the carriageway and 79 per cent of respondents preferring a single track arrangement if practical.
The Department of Infrastructure has said it has identified an opportunity to extend the horse trams use to allow the Manx Electric Railway to share the tracks and to introduce rolling modern stock to provide a modern system for commuters while at the same time retaining their heritage use.
The consultation also found that 77 per cent of respondents wanted to see investment in the promenades to secure their long term future - with 57 per cent of respondents feeling that the appearance of them was not to a high enough standard.
64 per cent of respondents did not want a new sea wall to be built and 85 per cent did not want a dedicated bus lane installed on the promenades. 70 per cent of respondents would like the number of parking spaces on the promenades to remain the same or be increased and 62 per cent of respondents would like to see the vehicular access restricted to Castle Street and Strand Street.
The majority of respondents (between 68 per cent and 80 per cent) did not wish to see a change in the width of carriageways, footways, the number of pedestrian crossings, size or number of taxi ranks or coach parking provision.
Three focus groups were also held to discuss issues in more depth. They found that leisure use on the promenades should be enhanced to encourage greater use of the area by tourists and residents.
The groups also decided that the availability, number and location of parking spaces for Douglas Town Centre required assessing to develop a long and short stay parking strategy for the area.
Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne MHK said: "I am delighted that so many people chose to engage with this consultation and share their views. I am very pleased that clear priorities emerged and that there is a viable way forward.
"There was overwhelming support for the project and both the department and the government have made an initial commitment to proceed. The next step will be to prepare some detailed plans and we will invite further comment on those before proceeding."
The department will develop a detailed design proposal for the future of the Douglas Promenades which will be launched later this year. Tynwald has provisionally identified a budget of £10 million over the next four years to progress this project.
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