Is this the WORST roundabout? Despairing residents on 'woke' Isle of Man blast 'crazy' painted oval 'roundel' introduced as part of £26million revamp and insist it is a 'deathtrap'

Daily Mail​

11-05-2025

Frustrated locals living on the Isle of Man have said controversial painted -oval shaped roundabouts introduced as part of a £26million revamp to the Douglas seafront are 'a tragedy waiting to happen'.
The 'roundels' sit at junctions along Douglas Promenade connecting Broadway and Church Road Marina, two of the busiest junctions in the city, which is the largest settlement on the island.
Locals say that due to the lack of a central island, many drivers treat the curious junctions like any stretch of road and drive straight over the lines causing havoc.
Meanwhile pedestrians have also gotten into scrapes with the roundels stepping out into the road as they are unsure who has right of way.
A business owner close to one of the junctions told MailOnline the noise pollution and general sense of unease since they were installed has been noticeable.
They claimed: 'It's honking every day basically. People aren't sure what the rules are or if there are any rules at all and so they basically all fight each other to get through.
'Other more dangerous drivers just speed straight over them, it's a nightmare really -nobody around here can work out why they introduced them.
'They're a tragedy waiting to happen.'
Another local, who preferred to stay anonymous, said the eye-catching designs were indicative of the island trying to 'stand out at all costs'.
They said: 'It's pathetic really. Why can't we have normal roundabouts like the rest of the world?
'It seems we always have to be different on this island and that get's tiring after a while. We've already done away with cannabis laws and we're pushing through assisted dying.
'I suppose roundabouts was always going to be next. Let's make them deathtraps!'
In April, the Isle of Man became the first place in the British Isles to pass legislation that would permit assisted dying, despite opposition from campaigners.
Terminally ill people will be given 'autonomy and choice' at the end of their lives, a GP and politician said.
The Bill will now be put forward for royal assent, at which point it will become law.
It is the latest departure from the norm for the Crown dependency which has been described as 'the Isle of Woke' for its liberal policies.
The Isle is the only place in Britain where medicinal cannabis is legal and many roads on the island have no set speed limit.
Island officials have long claimed the roundels were introduced as a 'traffic calming' measure.
MailOnline has approached the Isle of Man's Department of Infrastructure for comment.
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The Isle of Man is taking on a raft of liberal policies from assisted dying to cannabis farms… but what do locals think?
by John James and Sophie Carlin
It used to be known as the Island of Speed.. but now with the news that assisted dying, votes for 16-year-olds and legalised growth of cannabis have been passed on the island - but what do locals think?
In recent weeks, the Manx community of the Isle of Man have been hit with many soul-splintering dilemmas.
Should they introduce a blanket 20mph speed limit on the Island? Should they accept the introduction of assisted dying?
And should they open their arms to a Wetherspoons? The answer to at least two of those is yes.
From last week, the Isle of Man became the first place in the British Isles to pass legislation that would permit assisted dying, despite opposition from campaigners.
When the MailOnline visited the self-governing British Crown Dependency earlier this week, the rock was bathed in spring sunlight and the inhabitants were busying themselves.
Residents expressed concerns over the island becoming associated with assisted dying.
Isle of Woke? The wackiest policies of the Isle of Man
Derestricted roads: Many roads on the island have no set speed limit
Currency: The Isle of Man has its own banknotes which are legal tender on the island
The world's oldest parliament: Tynewald, the IOM parliament, dates back over 1000 years
Medicinal cannabis: The Isle of Man is the only place in the British Isles where medicinal cannabis is legal
Votes at 16: The Isle of Man is also only area that allows teenagers at school to vote
Though the island is only 33 miles long and 13 miles wide, there is a great deal packed into such a small space.
The main town is Douglas, on the east coast. Built around a crescent moon of a bay, it has a large and sturdy harbour protecting ships from sea storms.
MailOnline spoke to shoppers enjoying themselves on Strand Street which runs parallel to the prom, and many expressed fears about the island's lurch to the left.
Student Sean Christian told MailOnline he was dismayed the island could soon add death to its connotations.
He explained: 'I just think it's not something we really want to be associated with. With a place with very high suicide rates, it's not something you want to be known for.
'We used to be known for speed, now its taxes, assisted dying and old people retiring.'
Long-time resident Kevin Woodford offered a more sage assessment.
He said: 'It's complicated. It has to be properly looked after or I fear it will be manipulated.
'I understand the complexities but it has to be controlled. The worst thing that could happen is it becomes this concept of death tourism.'
Young couple Logan Gaskell, 24, and Rocky Poole, 26, were broadly for it however, although for differing reasons.
Rocky said: 'I'm really for it. People should have the freedom. We are worried about people abusing it.
Logan said: 'It doesn't really matter if people abuse it? If someone is dying from ALS, why would you want them to suffer. People should have the choice.
Rocky added: 'Also, for people in the UK it could save them a fortune. Rather than go to Switzerland, come to the Isle of Man, if they have a pint at the same time, it would be great for business.'
Many of the island's more libertarian policies have been in affect for years and made the island's new inhabitants feel more at home.
27-year-old Harry Matthews recently moved to the island with his dog Woody from Devon.
He said: 'Assisted dying is pretty intense, and we can buy weed and vote at 16! It is a respectful place, people will listen to these laws.
'I'm not worried about death tourism. If people want to come here to pop their clogs, that's up to them. I used to live in Devon and just moved here - I love it!
'It's getting more progressive here, we have an independent government so it makes it easier.'
Though the island is only 33 miles long and 13 miles wide, there is a great deal packed into such a small space
The island is likely to become the first part of the British Isles to legalise assisted dying, after its proposed legislation was voted through by the parliament's upper chamber.
Members of what is known as its legislative council approved a final reading of the Assisted Dying Bill on Tuesday.
Terminally ill people will be given 'autonomy and choice' at the end of their lives, a GP and politician said.
The Bill will now be put forward for royal assent, at which point it will become law.
Dr Alex Allinson, the member of the House of Keys - the directly elected lower house on the island - who introduced the private member's bill in 2022, said he is hopeful it can become law later this year.
But even if it does successfully go into law, an assisted dying service would not be in place until 2027 at the earliest.
The introduction of the UK's first assisted dying bill already places the Isle of Man as an outlier in terms of health policy, however the island's local MP insists that as with all the island's out there policies due consideration will be given.
Speaking to MailOnline, Alex Allison insisted that the island's new bill would be properly scrutinised and pointed to a number of places where the island was soaring ahead of the UK.
He claimed: 'I have been realistic to say that within the bill, although it's been passed, we do need to get quite a lot of secondary legislation
'We do need to make sure we've got the right guidelines, codes of practice, and most countries that bring in assisted dying, it's taken them a good 18 months to two years to do all that sort of work, but also to do the right amount of public education, the right amount of training for people who are going to be involved with providing the service.
'And so, certainly, you know, I've said, you know, if you get royal assent this year, I wouldn't expect it to come into operation [indistinguishable] until 2027.
'We bought our ferry company a couple of years ago, just before Covid, it just seemed like a very good idea at the time.
'We've got our own nationalised water industry that we've never sold off and are investing in. So, we've got cleaner waters than the UK which has obviously become an issue there.
'And so we've looked at those areas which would benefit from public-private partnership and those elements that really should be within a government ownership.'