A councillor has called for the government to make roads more pedestrianised.

Andrew Bentley, a member of the Regeneration and Community Committee of the Douglas Council, has asked for the main purpose of Victoria Street in the capital to be reconsidered.

He said: ‘We have a number of spaces around Douglas, but we don’t actually have a proper square as such.

‘Do we have to drive cars down every single street? Around 30 to 40 years ago, we made the decision that Strand Street would be pedestrian.

‘So why do we need to make every single street accessible to cars? We should be using our opportunities.’

Victoria Street is getting a new raised crossing and resurfacing work, which has been carried out by the Department of Infrastructure since early October 2022 and is nearing completion with the end in sight.

Cllr Bentley said: ‘The thing with Victoria Street is that at the moment about 60% of the width of the street is given over to cars, the same width as when it was opened to two-way traffic.

‘If we were to reduce it so that there was only one lane plus a taxi rank, that would significantly increase the amount of pavement, which would be very beneficial if it was on the north side where the sun shines and we can have larger pavement cafe areas.

‘I think there’s a great opportunity there to create a public space.’

When asked how easy it would be to make these changes, Cllr Bentley replied: ‘It is a matter for the DoI and it is disappointing that they went ahead with this new crossing without appraising the whole of Victoria Street.

‘This closure has given us a chance to appreciate that it’s a big wide space lined with some very handsome Victorian buildings. It’s got great potential.’

The current phase of roadworks doesn’t allow any vehicles to travel through it and all traffic, including public transport, has been diverted away down Athol Street to avoid the roadworks currently taking place.

Cllr Bentley said: ‘I have spoken to businesses in the southern half of Duke Street, who are feeling quite cut off.

‘They were sounding very positive when I asked them about what they thought about changing the priority for the zebra crossing.’

Cllr Bentley hopes the government will work towards fulfilling the joint plans for the capital.

He said: ‘We know that the government’s own policy here is in the 15-year road map for Douglas.

‘It says very clearly that the department and the regeneration committee held an ambition to reduce the number of vehicles that use this street and provide more priority for pedestrians, so it’s actually in the government policy.’

Work on Victoria Street raised crossing will finish on April 2, after which, the entire street will be resurfaced in stages and that work will finish on May 3.