A Ramsey business has called for a ‘constructive’ discussion about the impact periodic closures of the Mountain Road are having on local firms.

Ramsey Shipping Services says repeated closures of the A18 are affecting trade in the town and making it less attractive to visitors.

The Shipyard Road-based company shared a graph which it says shows a rise in the number of closure days, arguing this is creating increasing operational and economic pressure on Ramsey and businesses that rely on the island’s main upland route between Douglas and the north.

In its post, the company said it was not seeking to criticise but to encourage discussion.

‘This post is not a criticism - absolutely not’ it said.

‘This post is a food for thoughts, hoping for constructive brain storming discussion, for those who care to come up with ideas which would allow us to reverse existing trend.

‘We cannot manage something which is not measured. We also need to measure something we deeply care about.’

The company said verified reported data showed 68 weather or maintenance-related closure days in 2025, made up of 39 full and 29 partial closures.

It added that race events, including the TT and Manx Grand Prix, account for session-based closures estimated at between 16 and 20 days per year.

Based on this, it said operational planning assumptions should expect between 70 and 85 days annually with restricted or unavailable access via the Mountain Road.

Closure drivers were listed as snow, ice, high winds, low visibility, winter storms, resurfacing works and race scheduling.

When the road is shut, diversion routes typically increase Douglas to Ramsey journey times by between 25 and 40 minutes.

‘What we were interested in was trend – and the trend is … raising number of closure days,’ the post continued.

‘That is hurting a lot of us here in Ramsey.

‘That is making us in Ramsey less “sexy” for visitors.

‘This is hurting a lot of people outside of Ramsey who rely on Royal Ramsey.’

The post has generated significant discussion online.

Chris Blatcher commented: ‘As a business owner in Ramsey I really don’t feel that the DoI, Dept of Enterprise, the other various government bodies or our MHKs truly understand the affect that the closures have on not only the operational efficiency of our businesses but also the lost trade that these closures cause.

‘The more concerning element though is that they really don’t seem to care as they never actually ask and choose to ignore when businesses speak up.’

One business frequently cited in discussions about the Mountain Road is the Victory Café at the Bungalow.

Owners Vicky and Ben Quirk recently announced they would drastically reduce opening hours, citing ‘huge’ challenges in the hospitality industry and the number of closures last year, which they claim have almost doubled those of 2024.

They said the café would open only on Sundays, with a greater focus on events including motorsport-related functions and weddings.

Ramsey MHK Dr Alex Allinson is set to question DoI Minister Tim Crookall in the House of Keys next week on the criteria for closing the Mountain Road due to snow and ice.

Isle of Man Today has contacted the Department of Infrastructure for comment.