The uncontrolled crossing in the form of a red line outside Arbory Parish Hall will be converted into a zebra crossing.

An uncontrolled or informal crossing is where the pedestrian doesn’t have priority to cross the road.

Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall told the House of Keys on Tuesday that the department’s review into the crossing in Ballabeg had been completed and it had been concluded that the red line would be changed.

‘This will be converted into a zebra crossing as soon as it can be fitted into the work programme,’ he said this week.

Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse was concerned there could be a ‘long wait’ before any work is begun which he found worrying due to the fact this was a safety issue and many people may not understand what the crossing is.

Mr Crookall said: ‘I do think that this is absolutely a safety issue so it will be done as soon as possible.’

He added that the work wouldn’t be started until after TT, which starts at the end of this month.

The MHK asked if any temporary signage would be put up for motorists as visitors would be unaware of the crossing.

‘I’m not aware that’s been done in the past but I’ll ask officers to look at it and make sure it’s as safe as possible for the time being,’ the minister said.

Mr Moorhouse told the Manx Independent previously he was ‘filled with horror’ at the crossing in Ballabeg after the infrastructure minister admitted he wasn’t happy with it either.

The uncontrolled crossing is used to help pedestrians in finding a good location to cross the road where the intervisibility between drivers and pedestrians waiting to cross the road is the best.

Mr Moorhouse raised concerns during the sitting in November last year about the tactile paving either side of the crossing. Its texture is usually used to assist those who are visually impaired when crossing the road.

He asked if they could be looked at ‘as a priority’ because he felt they suggested to visually impaired people that the crossing is a ’designated and recognised road crossing’ and someone new to the area could ’be put in peril’ because of this.

Mr Moorhouse said: ‘This advice made reference to there being visual contact between the driver and a pedestrian.

‘In these cases that simply cannot be done, the [tactile] paving must be removed as a priority.

‘With the darker mornings and evenings, I am genuinely concerned about children on their way to school and the visually impaired.’

Mr Crookall admitted there should be signage put up but he wanted to look at the crossings and see what needed to be done.

Stressing it is a ‘legal uncontrolled crossing’, he said: ‘Any road colouring can be used on the highway, subject to meeting performance specifications and skid resistance, as an example.’