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3.6.3 Bowring Road has a carriageway width which reduces from some 7.0 metres to some 5.5 metres towards the south before widening to some 7.0 metres again at its approach to the North Shore Road junction. It has continuous footways to both sides which vary in width with a pedestrian crossing to the north of its junction with Jurby Road/Cumberland Avenue and a pelican crossing to the north of its junction with North Shore Road. To the south of North Shore Road, Bowring Road meets Derby Road at a mini-roundabout type of junction.
3.6.4 Bowring Road is subject to a 30mph speed limit which is reinforced by carriageway markings along its length, it is lit and its centreline is marked out with a hazard warning line. On-street waiting is prohibited at all times on both sides to the south of its junction with Jurby Road and not prohibited to the north of this junction.
3.6.5 The section of Andreas Road to the north of Bride Road, A9, is classified as a district distributor type of road in the Department of Transport’s Policy Statement. It provides direct access to frontage residential development and agricultural land. Its carriageway is some 6.4 metres wide with a 1.4 metre wide footway to its west and Manx hedges and boundary walls to its east. This section of Andreas Road is also subject to a 30mph speed limit, is unlit and its centre of carriageway is marked out with a hazard warning line. On-street waiting is again not prohibited along this length of road.
3.7.1 North Shore Road is not identified in the Department of Transport’s Policy Statement. It is an access road which extends between Bowring Road in the west and the Mooragh Promenade in the east. It provides direct access to residential development to both sides along its length.
3.7.2 The carriageway of North Shore Road is some 6.0 metres wide at its approach to Bowring Road and some 9.0 metres at its approach to Mooragh Promenade. It is bounded by footways of varying widths to both sides and its carriageway is unmarked other than at its approaches to Bowring Road and Mooragh Promenade where there are stop lines. On-street waiting is prohibited at all times on both sides where the carriageway is some 6.0 metres wide over a distance of some 140.0 metres from its junction with Bowring Road.
3.7.3 At this junction, there are visibility splays of 2.4 x 70.0(+) metres to both the north and south but that to the north passes over a 25.0 metre long section of the southbound lane on the outside of the bend and hence a narrow section of the carriageway, varying in width between 0.0 and 1.0 metres, may be obscured. Drivers of vehicles emerging from North Shore Road can therefore see vehicles approaching from both directions when they are more than 70.0 metres distant and hence they can judge whether it is safe to join the main road or wait until any approaching traffic has passed.
3.7.4 Some 15.0 metres to the north of the junction there is a pelican crossing on Bowring Road.
3.7.5 At the junction of North Shore Road with Mooragh Promenade, drivers who are stopped at the junction can see traffic approaching on the Promenade when it is more than 70.0(+) metres distant in both directions and hence can judge whether it is safe to join that road.
3.8.1 The Mooragh Promenade is identified in the Department of Transport’s Policy Statement, together with Vollan Crescent, as a local distributor type of road. It is a dual carriageway road which extends from the Harbour in the south to Vollan Crescent in the north. Its carriageways are each some 6.4 metres wide and it has a continuous walkway to its east, along the shore line and a footway to its west which extends between North Shore Road and Premier Road, along its developed frontage.
3.8.2 It is subject to a 30mph speed limit and is lit at its southern end along its developed frontage, between the Harbour and Premier Road, to the north of this, it is unlit. On-street waiting is not prohibited along the entire length of the Promenade.
3.9.1 The existing Ormly estate comprises a development of some 124 dwellings which have vehicular access by way of Ormly Avenue and Rheast Mooar Lane. Both of these roads have carriageways which are 7.3 metres wide with 1.8 metre wide footways to both sides, other than Rheast Mooar Lane, which over a distance of some 90.0 metres to the east of its junction with Andreas Road, has a carriageway width of 3.1-4.4 metres with a footway to its south which is some 1.8 metres wide and which is segregated from the carriageway by bollards. This narrow section of carriageway carries one-way traffic in an eastbound direction, from Andreas Road towards the estate, and therefore all traffic leaves the estate by way of Ormly Avenue and its junction with Bride Road.
3.9.2 All other roads within the estate have carriageways which are some 6.0 metres wide with footways to both sides including the 30.0 metre long sections of road which extend to the Manx hedge adjoining the application site boundary. At the ends of these sections of road, the Manx hedge is in third party ownership.
3.9.3 Ormly Avenue meets Bride Road at a simple priority junction where traffic on Ormly Avenue stops before joining Bride Road. There are visibility splays of 2.4 x 60.0 metres and 2.4 x 30.0 metres to the left and right respectively and therefore a mirror has been erected to assist visibility to the right where it is restricted by the alignment of Bride
Road. Drivers of emerging vehicles can therefore see traffic approaching from both directions on Bride Road in time to judge whether it is safe to join that road or wait.
3.9.4 The estate is a Home Zone and therefore all roads within it are subject to a 20mph speed limit, are lit to side road standard and are unmarked other than for the occasional junction which is marked out with give-way markings. On-street parking is not prohibited on any of the estate roads.
3.10 I carried out surveys on Thursday 30 June 2005 between 7:30am and 10:00am and between 4:00pm and 6:00pm in order to establish the typical morning and evening peak and inter-peak hour flows on the roads likely to be used by traffic generated by the application proposals. The results of the classified surveys are attached at Appendix BGH5 together with their summaries. They show that the peak flows on the major roads occurred between 8:00am and 9:00am and between 5:00pm and 6:00pm and hence I have analysed those in order to assess the worst case. The results of the pedestrian surveys for each of the survey periods are attached at Appendix BGH6.
3.11 Highway Use
3.11.1 The survey results show that the two-way peak hour flows on Vollan
Crescent were some 55 and some 101 vehicles per hour between 8:00am and 9:00am and between 5:00pm and 6:00pm. Between 9:00am and 10:00am and between 4:00pm and 5:00pm, they were some 68 and 69 vehicles per hour respectively. On the basis of advice contained in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, TA79/99, Traffic Capacity of Urban Roads, the traffic carrying capacity of a road such as Vollan Crescent with a 5.5-6.2 metre wide carriageway is some 1,500 vehicles per hour and hence it can be seen that Vollan Crescent is presently operating at less than 10% of its traffic carrying capacity during peak periods and less at other times of the day. Transport in the Urban Environment refers to the environmental capacity of an access road or local distributor road and sets out that it lies typically in the range 300-600 vehicles per hour. This illustrates that the maximum traffic flow which is compatible with a good environment may be substantially less than that which a road can carry simply on the basis of its carriageway width. However, the highest hourly flow recorded on Vollan Crescent is some 33% of the bottom of the range of 300-600 vehicles per hour which is considered to be an acceptable environmental capacity for a road of this nature.
3.11.2 The survey results also show that the morning peak hour flow on Bride Road increased from some 113 vehicles per hour in the vicinity of its junction with Vollan Crescent to some 154 vehicles per hour at its approach to Andreas Road and that the evening peak hour flow
increased from some 171 vehicles per hour to some 193 vehicles per hour along this section of road. Between 9:00am and 10:00am and between 4:00pm and 5:00pm the flows increased from some 105 vehicles per hour to some 123 vehicles per hour and from some 134 vehicles per hour to some 166 vehicles per hour respectively. On the basis of its carriageway width, the traffic carrying capacity of Bride Road is some 1,650-2,100 vehicles per hour and therefore it can be seen that it is also presently operating at less than some 10% of its traffic carrying capacity. It is also operating at some 65% of the bottom end of the range of 300-600 vehicles per hour which indicates that it is compatible with a good environment.
3.11.3 The two-way traffic flow on Andreas Road/Bowring Road during the morning peak hour increased from some 277 vehicles per hour to the north of Bride Road to some 1,015 vehicles per hour to the south of North Shore Road and during the evening peak hour it increased from some 260 vehicles per hour to some 1,056 vehicles per hour on this section of road. Between 9:00am and 10:00am and between 4:00pm and 5:00pm, it increased from some 221 vehicles per hour to some 836 vehicles per hour and from some 258 vehicles per hour to some 1,087 vehicles per hour. The traffic carrying capacity of the road varies along its length from some 1,850 vehicles per hour to the north of Bride Road to some 2,400 vehicles per hour to the south of North Shore Road and it can therefore be seen that it is operating at less than some 50% of these
flows. There are therefore gaps in its traffic streams into which traffic from side roads or accesses can join the main road. Andreas Road/Bowring Road is defined in the Department of Transport’s Policy Statement as a primary distributor type of road which accommodates:-
“...longer distance through traffic and bulk of traffic movements internally.”
Its major role is therefore to assist the movement of traffic and because of this, this type of road is not given an environmental capacity.
3.11.4 The morning and evening peak hour flows on North Shore Road increased from some 87 vehicles per hour and some 109 vehicles per hour at its approach to Mooragh Promenade to some 268 vehicles per hour and some 238 vehicles per hour at its approach to Bowring Road. Between 9:00am and 10:00am and between 4:00pm and 5:00pm they increased from some 81 vehicles per hour to some 198 vehicles per hour and some 108 vehicles per hour to some 283 vehicles per hour and therefore again, this road was carrying traffic flows which are less than 20% of its traffic carrying capacity of some 1,500 vehicles per hour and less than the bottom end of the range which is compatible with a good environment. Similarly, the flows on Mooragh Promenade are less than 163 vehicles per hour and are therefore less than the traffic carrying capacity of the dual carriageway type of road which is in excess of some 4,000 vehicles per hour and below the bottom end of the range which is
compatible with a good environment.
3.11.5 The capacity of a highway network is often constrained by the capacity of the junctions along its length and therefore I have analysed the surveyed morning and evening peak hour operation of the junctions of Vollan Crescent with Bride Road, Bride Road with Andreas Road and North Shore Road with Bowring Road using the Department of Transport program PICADY4. The results of the analyses are attached at Appendix BGH7 and they show that the junction of Vollan Crescent with Bride Road operated with maximum ratios of flow to capacity of 0.06 and 0.14 respectively for the morning and evening peak periods. A value of 0.85 indicates that queues should not occur at the junction during five out of six peak periods and a value of 0.75 indicates that they should not occur during 39 out of 40 peak periods. It can therefore be seen that the junction operated well within its capacity and that only the occasional vehicle had to wait in either Vollan Crescent or on Bride Road, whilst waiting to turn right into Vollan Crescent, and that the maximum delay experienced by those vehicles is some seven-eight seconds. This is confirmed by inspection of the junction during these times of the day.
3.11.6 Similarly, the analyses show that the junction of Bride Road with Andreas Road also operated well within its capacity during the morning and evening peak periods with maximum RFC values of 0.18 and 0.19. Again, these values show that only the occasional short queue of traffic
formed within either Bride Road or on Andreas Road whilst vehicles waited to turn right into Bride Road, and that any waiting vehicles typically experienced delays of some nine seconds. This is again confirmed by inspection of the junction during these times of day.
3.11.7 The analyses of the operation of the junction of North Shore Road with Bowring Road show that it also operated well within its capacity with maximum RFC values of 0.41 and 0.28 during the morning and evening peak periods. Again these show that queues of vehicles do not constantly form at this junction and that the average delay of those people who do queue is some ten-eleven seconds. This analysis is also borne out by site inspection which reveals that there is some delay to traffic in the area because of the general activity within Ramsey, the operation of the mini-roundabout junctions of Derby Road and Station Road and the operation of the pelican crossing to the north of North Shore Road but that this is not caused by use of the junction of North Shore Road with Bowring Road. At this junction vehicles can turn left, towards Ramsey town centre, with little delay because they are not hindered by vehicles waiting to turn right which occasionally experience delays of up to some 20-30 seconds. However, significant queues within North Shore Road do not form as gaps in the southbound flow of traffic allow vehicles to turn right out of North Shore Road and this manoeuvre is assisted by the pelican crossing which stops the movement of all vehicles on Bowring Road. Vehicles travelling in a northerly
direction along Bowring Road are not delayed by vehicles which are waiting to turn right into North Shore Road because they are able to pass any waiting vehicles on their inside.
3.11.8 The results of the pedestrian surveys show that no more than a dozen pedestrians walked along Vollan Crescent or Bride Road during both the morning and evening peak and inter-peak periods and that the numbers along Andreas Road/Bowring Road increased from some 7-14 pedestrians per hour at Bride Road to some 52-100 pedestrians per hour to the south of North Shore Road. Some 32-55 pedestrians per hour typically walked along North Shore Road at its approach to Bowring Road and some 12-27 pedestrians per hour typically walked along the Promenade in the vicinity of its junction with North Shore Road.
3.11.9 I also carried out surveys of the use of the junctions of Ormly Avenue with Bride Road and Rheast Mooar Lane with Andreas Road in order to establish the volume of traffic generated by the existing residential development on the Ormly estate during a typical weekday, together with its direction of travel. Its morning peak period of generation occurred between 8:00am and 9:00am when the 124 dwellings generated some 62 vehicles of which 48 travelled away from the estate and 14 travelled towards it. During the evening peak period, between 5:00pm and 6:00pm, it generated some 85 vehicles of which some 57 travelled towards the estate and some 28 travelled away from it. The generation rate of the existing development was therefore 0.5 vehicles
per dwelling during the morning peak period of which some 75% travelled away from it and some 25% travelled towards it and 0.7 vehicles per dwelling during the evening peak period, of which some 67% travelled towards it and some 33% travelled away from it. Residential development typically generates between 0.6 and 0.8 vehicles per dwelling during both the morning and evening peak periods and hence the surveyed figure for the morning peak may be low because people left home before 8:00am to travel to work earlier or the generation rate for the development is low. It is unlikely that the generation rate is low because those for the evening peak and the morning peak when the surveys for the Transport Assessment were carried out in April 2004, were both higher. It is more likely that some people left home early to travel to work because the survey findings for the period between 7:30am and 8:30am show that the development generated some 53 vehicles at that time.
3.12.1 The roads around the application site are bus routes. The X3, Manx Express, provides two services during the morning from Ramsey to Douglas and three services during the day in the opposite direction, Monday – Friday, in order to provide services for people commuting between Ramsey and Douglas. It travels along North Shore Road,
Mooragh Promenade, Bride Road and Andreas Road. The 12, Ramsey Town service, provides hourly services throughout the day, Monday – Friday, between the residential areas of Ramsey and the town centre. It travels along North Shore Road, Mooragh Promenade, Bride Road, roads within the existing Ormly estate, Andreas Road and Thornhill Park. The 17-20 circular services to Jurby, Andreas and Bride travel along both Andreas Road and Bride Road and provide services at approximate hourly intervals throughout the working day. The relevant extracts from the bus and rail timetable are attached at Appendix BGH8. There are bus stops for these services on Vollan Crescent in the vicinity of the dwellings which overlook Ramsey Bay, Ormly Avenue, Rheast Mooar Lane and Ormly Road within the existing Ormly estate.
3.13.1 I have obtained the personal injury accident record for the five year period, since January 2000 from officers of Isle of Man Constabulary and it shows that there have been 15 personal injury accidents on the highway network which I have described.
3.13.2 Two of the accidents occurred on Vollan Crescent, in 2003 and 2004, and were caused by drivers losing control around the bend nearest to Ramsey Bay. They both resulted in serious personal injury.
3.13.3 Three of the accidents occurred at the junction of Bride Road with Andreas Road, in 2001 and 2002, and they resulted in slight personal injury. They were caused by sudden illness, driving into a wall when turning from Andreas Road into Bride Road and driving into the rear of another vehicle on Andreas Road.
3.13.4 A further five accidents occurred between 2002 and 2005 on Bowring Road, and one of those resulted in serious personal injury. The others resulted in slight injury. They were caused by a vehicle turning into the path of a cyclist, a cyclist being blown off by a gust of wind, a motorcycle turning into the path of a car, a child running into the carriageway and a car turning out of a side road into the path of another one.
3.13.5 One accident occurred at the junction of North Shore Road with Bowring Road in 2002 and caused slight personal injury when a vehicle emerged from North Shore Road into the path of one on Bowring Road.
3.13.6 Two accidents occurred on North Shore Road in 2003 and 2004 as a result of a pillion passenger falling off a motorcycle and a pedestrian running into the path of an oncoming vehicle and two occurred on Mooragh Promenade in 2001 and 2005 as a result of vehicles carrying out U-turns.
3.13.7 This record indicates that accidents have occurred as a result of personal error rather than inherent problems in the existing highway network
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