A meeting between highway chiefs and residents of Kirk Michael this week revealed there are still some aspects of the new roads plans that need to be resolved.

The government’s director of highways, Jeff Robinson, and the designer of the new traffic calming measures, Blair Acheson, presented the new plans to about 50 Kirk Michael residents on Tuesday night.

The proposals put forward by the Department of Infrastructure included footpath widening and resurfacing, changing crossing points at junctions, narrowing the corner at Douglas Road, buffer zones to slow drivers down on their way into the village and three raised crossings, two of which will be zebra crossings.

Mr Acheson said that the purpose of the changes was to decrease vehicle speeds and to improve pedestrian links.

The best example of this in the village is the introduction of ’continuous footpaths’, essentially a continuation of the pavement across junctions which he said will ’give priority back to pedestrians’.

The plans see the introduction of removable raised crossings, including two zebra crossings - one near school and the other next to the Tack Box.

The crossings need to be removable for TT and Manx Grand Prix racing.

That issue caused considerable disagreement in the room.

Some residents questioned why they would be introduced when they would need to be removed for the four busiest weeks of the year.

One resident also pointed out that a common feature of either side of a speed bump, to which the crossings would be similar, was potholes, which would need repairing every time the raised section was removed to ensure the race course was not damaged.

Mr Robinson said that the DoI had to introduce the raised crossings ’otherwise we’d be taking out all the speed-calming features’.

He also pointed out that residents had rejected the idea of conventional speed bumps in the village.

When a resident asked why the DoI couldn’t just install a zebra crossing with the raised section, Mr Robinson said this was because the ACU, which organises the TT, does not like zebra crossings.

He said: ’I can’t ignore the fact that racing exists on these roads.’

However, when asked how the zebra crossing outside the school would function during TT and MGP fortnights, Mr Robinson suggested that the road could be a different colour where the crossing is to ensure it was visible.

He assured residents: ’We are thinking about the children during race times.’

Residents also voiced concerns about the changes to Douglas Road corner, which leads to Peel, and how the proposed ’continuous pavements’ will work at junctions.

Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan, who is also MHK for Ayre and Michael, said at the end of the meeting that, while there was still opposition to some aspects, ’it is time to get this done’.

Mr Cannan added: ’The village is crying out for investment.

’We have children and elderly people concerned about walking in the village so let’s move forward. We can expect a much better Kirk Michael in 18 months from now.’