Practical local solutions

It’s been another rewarding day door knocking in our constituency, both in Colby and Castletown, the weather certainly played its part with Castletown resembling the Riviera.

While every area has its own character the same issues keep coming up.

Take our schools for example, school drop-off and pick-up at Arbory School has been a problem for as long as I can remember – certainly since my own children attended the school. Despite years passing, the parking and traffic situation has seen little real improvement and remains a daily frustration for parents, residents and, most importantly, a safety concern for children.

Castletown faces similar challenges. Around Castle Rushen High School and Victoria Road, traffic at school times can be chaotic. Given the previous Department of Infrastructure Minister’s enthusiasm for introducing 20mph limits across the Island, it is surprising that we still don’t have sensible 20mph school safety zones in these key locations.

These are the sort of local issues that affect people’s lives every single day. Safe routes to school, sensible parking arrangements and lower speeds around schools shouldn’t be controversial—they should be common sense.

If elected, I’ll continue to push for practical, local solutions that make our communities safer for children, less stressful for parents, and more considerate of nearby residents.