Ninety five per cent of the public did not support the roll-out of 20mph zones across the island, the newly-installed Infrastructure Minister told highway officers.

Minutes of a meeting to review the 20mph scheme have been released under Freedom of Information.

The controversial roll-out was halted in January following the dismissal of then Infrastructure Minister Michelle Haywood.

Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said the policy should be revisited as it had gone ‘way beyond’ the intentions of its original proposer, Douglas Central MHK Ann Corlett.

Dr Haywood’s successor as Minister, Tim Crookall, subsequently announced a pause on the roll-out.

Despite this pause, some 80 new signs have been installed in areas near schools in Douglas, with the Department of Infrastructure saying it had refined its approach.

Now minutes of a highway services meeting held on January 22 to review the 20mph scheme have been released following an FoI request by information campaigner Trevor Cowin.

The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Alfred Cannan and the new DoI Minister.

Mr Crookall told the meeting that 95% of the public who contacted him did not support the 20mph scheme. But network planning manager Kevin Almond said he had received limited negative feedback.

Mr Cannan asked what the immediate next steps would be and was told that implementation had been caried out in Port St Mary but that works due to have started on Monday January 19 in Douglas and Onchan had been paused.

Deputy chief officer Jeff Robinson advised it was not possible to rescind the published traffic orders as all streets identified for 20mph were contained within a single order.

He said if the order was rescinded all speed limits would be invalid, they would not revert to how they were previously.

It was noted that traffic signs would remain as they until a decision had been made on whether to reduce to 20mph or retain the existing 30mph, as opposed to applying the previous directive of reducing all schools and residential areas to 20mph.

It was noted that new housing estates predominantly introduce a 20mph speed limit.

Mr Robinson suggested that outer sections of residential areas could be reviewed and reconsidered with a focus on establishing a natural radius around towns.

Alexander Drive, Quarterbridge and Woodbourne Road in Douglas were mentioned along with Lezayre Road in Ramsey and Main Road in Laxey.

But the Chief Minister requested that the focus for implementation should now shift towards schools and care facilities with a policy direction drafted supporting this.

Mr Almond advised that plans could be revised to show clearly what roads will be included in the 20mph roll-out and which are to be excluded.

He said that the Highways Division would return to the planning stage, after which an updated implementation programme would be prepared along with updated maps.

Mr Cowin has asked for an internal review of the FoI’s response, pointed out that he had requested copies of all/any departmental or other meetings at which the decision was taken to ’refine’ the DoI’s approach to impose 20mph speed limits.