The Department of Infrastructure on the Isle of Man has released results of their consultation on large vehicles parked in residential areas. The general consensus of those who took part in the survey was that all large work vans and motor homes should be parked off the road.

The Department Of Infrastructure have now vowed to try to identify appropriate parking spaces for large vehicles which are, at the moment, parking in residential areas. They plan to keep the populace updated via their website and for those with no internet access staff will be available on a phone line. The consultation also found that residents want both the government and local authorities to identify land for the purpose of parking large vehicles and push through planning permission for “change of use” status. The residents were also keen to point out they did not expect to be saddled with larger taxes when the problem was resolved.

Most respondents to the survey felt that work vans which are protected by commercial vehicle insurance should be parked at a place of work and even people who are self employed should try their best to find a designated parking space for their vehicle. Motor home owners also came in for criticism. According to the survey too many leave their vehicles parked up for long periods on the main roads and cause traffic problems, however, many motor home owners responded to the survey and said they were desperate to find off road parking but it just was not available.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne said: “We will be trying to identify any area which can be used for off street parking of larger vehicles and I am encouraging local authorities to do the same. We already have a few areas which could be the answer to the problem.”