Highway surveys will be conducted this week to gather information aimed at improving traffic flows and road safety in and around Douglas and Onchan.

Data captured by the Department of Infrastructure’s Highway Services Division will also be used to predict the impact of any future changes to road layouts, junction designs and traffic light systems.

Traffic modelling will support the Department in its work to rebalance the highway network to give more consideration to other road users, such as residents, children, pedestrians and cyclists, while retaining reasonable journey times for motorists.

Highway monitoring will take place on Thursday 6 October 2016 from 7am to 10am and from 4pm to 7pm, and again on Saturday 8 October from 11am to 2pm.

This work will help the Department to build an accurate picture of vehicle movements around Douglas and Onchan and to better understand the volume and direction of traffic on certain routes.

Manual surveys will be undertaken to collect information about parking and the movements of cyclists and pedestrians. In addition, cameras will be positioned at strategic points to record vehicle movements into and out of Douglas and Onchan and to capture time spent within each area. Specialist software will process this information to inform the traffic modelling.

Kevin Almond, Traffic and Safety Manager, said: ‘This exercise is an essential part of our strategic highway planning for the Douglas and Onchan areas. I can assure people that the survey data will be used solely for the purpose of the modelling study. Any number plate information will be anonymised and will not be held or accessed by the Department.’

He added: ‘The work will be carried out by specialists Tracsis Traffic Data Limited, which is registered with the Isle of Man’s Information Commissioner, and will comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2002. Tracsis will not have access to any personal information and will destroy the number plate data recorded during the study within three months of collection.

‘This survey work will provide information to help the Department deliver its commitment to maintaining a good quality highway network that balances the needs of all road users.’

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