Highway code to be brought up to date in autumn

"Long overdue" updates to the Manx Highway Code are expected to be published in the autumn, the infrastructure department has confirmed.

It will adopt guidance and rules from the UK's Highway Code revised in 2022, with "Manx modifications" which include advice on sharing roads with horse trams.

Changes will give pedestrians greater priority over cars at junctions and introduces a "hierarchy of road users", putting more responsibility for road safety on motorists.

Infrastructure Minister Michelle Haywood said the code, which was last updated in 2014, involved a "cultural change" away from harm reduction and towards "safer roads in general".

The details of the changes were revealed in response to a question for written answer put forward by Chris Thomas MHK.

Under the new code, drivers will be encouraged to open their door with their left hand when exiting the vehicle, so that they have better visibility behind them.

When overtaking, they would need to give cyclists at least 5ft (1.5m) and at least 6.5ft (2m) for people walking in a road with no pavements.

The overhaul includes guidance for the positioning of cyclists on the road and behaviour when riding in groups.

It also states cyclists should give way to pedestrians and horse riders on shared paths and bridleways but can overtake slow moving traffic on the left or the right, with appropriate care.

Pedestrians crossing at side roads would have the right of way over vehicles or cyclists and the "hierarchy of road users" would ensure those driving vehicles have a responsibility for "more vulnerable road users".

Haywood said the changes would need a "shift in mindset", which may "take a little while for people to bed in with".

But the update was "really about focusing on road safety for the most vulnerable users", she said.

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