THE Isle of Man government is searching for parking spaces to cope with the increasing number of large goods vehicles and motorhomes which currently park in residential areas, causing traffic congestion.

The Department of Infrastructure announced today that it is stepping up its campaign to find new parking spaces and that it will be looking at a range of ideas to deal with what is described as a problem which will “not be easy” to resolve.

The Department is already reviewing the car parks already within its ownership with a view to dedicating areas for the parking of large vehicles and intends to amend the overnight and weekend waiting regulations to prevent large vehicles parking in residential areas.

It is also looking at changes to the operator licensing system which will require the operators of goods vehicles to have appropriate premises for their vehicles.

The announcement today is the result of the recent consultation on large vehicles parked in residential areas which had a good response from the Manx public and especially from local authorities.

The consultation showed that most people were not in favour of residential areas being used as parking areas for work vans. It was felt that work vehicles should be parked at the place of work, and if this is not practical then the employer should try to make alternative off road parking provision. 

It was acknowledged that many large vans in residential areas were owned by self-employed people and where possible they should be encouraged to be parked on drives or designated parking places.

The majority of respondents were not in favour of motorhomes being left on residential roads for long periods of time.  Owners should be responsible for finding suitable off-road accommodation for their vehicles. Roads are provided primarily for access to property and not for long term parking. 

There was also support for the view that government and local authorities should identify land for the purpose of parking large vehicles, but this should be undertaken at no cost to tax payers or rate payers.

Another suggestion was that planning consent for ‘change of use’ should be simplified to enable warehouses/barns to be used for the purpose of storing motorhomes.

Motorhome owners had responded that they tried to park responsibly if they did not have off-road parking available to them.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne said, “I would like to thank everyone who participated in this consultation for taking the time to provide the Department with their views. 

“The consultation has confirmed that large vehicles left for long periods of time on roads, particularly in residential areas, are generally viewed as not being acceptable, primarily due to the size of the vehicle which can cause obstructions, limit visibility and restrict access for emergency vehicles.

“This is an Island-wide issue and I was particularly pleased to see a good response from local authorities, who have a very important part to play by working with the community police to encourage good neighbourly parking within their residential areas.

“In addition, I would encourage them to identify any areas, either in their ownership or in private ownership, which could be used for off-street parking of large vehicles and encourage the use of these areas for this purpose and I am very pleased that Douglas Corporation have identified an area at the rear of the Grandstand for parking such vehicles.

“Finding convenient off road areas near residential areas which are suitable for large vans and motorhomes to park will not be easy, otherwise there would not be a problem, and therefore solutions will require all stakeholders, ie vehicle owners, Government, Local Authorities and owners of private properties to assist.”

He added, “It should be noted, however, that the timing of the implementation of any changes to these regulations will need to be co-ordinated with the identification and advertising of alternative options for the location of these vehicles.”

The results of the consultation can be found on the consultation website 

http://www.gov.im/consultations.gov?menuid=16918&type=closed