A public meeting will be held into long-awaited plans for a new road design to improve pedestrian safety in Kirk Michael village.

The design team from the Department of Infrastructure will unveil their proposals at the meeting, being held in the Community Civic Centre on Thursday (September 26).

Also present will be Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer and the two constituency MHKs Alfred Cannan and Tim Baker.

Ayre and Michael MHK, Treasury Minister Mr Cannan said villagers had been frustrated by the lack of action to date to improve safety through the village.

He said the speed and size of vehicles and narrow pavements makes the village extremely dangerous for pedestrians - and had been campaigning for improvements for years.

Mr Cannan said: ’The road layout and narrow pavements present a significant risk to both pedestrians and other road users on a daily basis.

’There have been a number of incidents and near-misses over many years, particularly involving pedestrians, and both the Commissioners and I have sought reassurances from the DoI that safety improvements will be made.

’In 2015 the then Infrastructure Minister committed to implementing improvements and it has taken four years to reach this stage of a public meeting.

’I know a lot of residents are extremely frustrated by the lack of action and I look forward to the DoI delivering some firm positive proposals at this meeting.’

Michael Commissioners’ clerk Krystina Hodgson said the scheme had been a long time in the planning - but even she hadn’t seen the designs yet.

And she explained that the plans did not involve a new bypass, an idea that has been discussed on and off for decades.

Instead it will see wider paths created and measures to tackle localised flooding and parking issues.

She said: ’It’s not a bypass, it’s a new design for the road through the village.

’When the new board came in in 2016 they went out to public consultation for a road design. From that we’ve been in touch with the DoI for two or three years now.

’I’ve not seen the plans yet. But the pavements will need changing as they are too narrow. There are also flooding issues and parking issues.

’The pavements have not been touched for about eight years.’

The Commissioners had been promised action as far back as 2015 and that a scheme would be finished by 2018.

Mrs Hogdgson wrote in 2017 that Commissioners were ’livid’ at the lack of action.

She wrote: ’We would like to encourage new, young families to the area, but the sight of a mother, with a pram and toddler, dicing with a narrow pavement and thundering vehicles passing within inches of them do not help us at all with this goal.

’The elderly and people requiring wheelchairs are also unable to navigate the heavy traffic without putting themselves at considerable risk.’

Mrs Hodgson told the Manx Independent that a lot of people would like a bypass but there are many who don’t, mainly shop owners and business owners.

Thursday’s public meeting, starts at 6pm.

All are welcome to attend.