There are a number of transport services around the Isle of Man, Mostly consisting of paved roads, public transport, rail services, ports and an airport.
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The island has a total of 688 miles (1,107 km)[1] of public roads, all of which are paved. Roads are named using a numbering scheme similar to those used in the numbering of roads in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; each road is assigned a letter, which represents the road's category, and a subsequent 1–2 digit number. A roads constitute the main roads of the island whilst roads labelled B to D will decrease in size and or quality. U roads are yet smaller. There is no national speed limit, but local speed limits are prevalent in a similar manner to the UK. Nevertheless, measured travel speeds are often relatively low.
There is a comprehensive bus network, operated by Bus Vannin, a department of the Isle of Man Government, with most routes originating or terminating in Douglas.
| Measurement site | Speed limit (mph) |
85% percentile | Measurement dates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastbound | Westbound | |||
| Ballafreer House, Main Road, Marown | No limit | 46 | 47 | 2005 (27 June – 4 July) |
| Main Road, Baldrine | 30 | 36 | 36 | 2005 (21–28 November) |
| Glen Mona, Maughold (parish) | No limit | 38 | 42 | 2005 (26 Sept. – 3 Oct.) |
| Ballamodha Straight, Malew | 40 | 51 | 50 | 2006 (6–13 March) |
| Ballacobb, Ballaugh | No limit | 51 | 40 | 2006 (3–10 July) |
| Richmond Hill, Douglas (by bus stop) | 50 | 55 | 50 | 2006 (24 April – 1 May) |
| Shore Road, Outside Limekilns Farm | No limit | 49 | 50 | 2004 (2–8 August) |
| Windy Corner, Onchan | No limit | 54 | 57 | 2006 (17–24 July) |
The island has a total of 68.5 km (42.6 mi) of railway, of which 43.5 km (27.0 mi) is electrified. There are six separate rail systems on the island:
Beginning at Peel, on the west coast of the island, one can make a 'circular tour' of the Isle of Man railways - with a little bit of help from the buses. Taking Bus Route 8 from Peel to Port Erin, you pick up the Isle of Man Steam Railway for a journey to Douglas. A short walk from Douglas Railway Station to the promenade brings you to the Douglas Horse Tram line, which takes you to Derby Castle at the opposite end of the prom. At Derby Castle, the Manx Electric Railway begins its route northwards to Laxey and Ramsey. At Laxey, the MER interchanges with the Snaefell Mountain Railway - and a change of carriage will allow you to ride to the top of Snaefell. Upon returning to Laxey, the MER offers a route northwards to Ramsey. The final leg, from Ramsey back to Peel, is achieved by taking Bus Route 5. Leaving Peel at 8:10 am, and allowing time for a light lunch at the top of Snaefell, the total journey time is a little over 6 hours.
The only commercial airport on the island is the Isle of Man Airport at Ronaldsway. Scheduled services operate to and from various cities in the United Kingdom and Ireland, operated by several different airlines.
The island's other paved runways are at Jurby and Andreas. Jurby remains in Isle of Man Government ownership and is used for motorsport events and, previously, airshows, while Andreas is privately owned and used by a local glider club. The old Hall Caine Airport, a grass field near Ramsey, is no longer used.
The Isle of Man Aircraft Register became operational on 1st May 2007. The register is open to all non-commercial aircraft and is intended to be of particular interest to professionally flown corporate operators. As of October 2011 a total of 422 corporate and private aircraft had been registered.
Ports are located at Castletown, Douglas, Peel and Ramsey. Douglas is served by frequent ferries to and from United Kingdom and Ireland; the sole operator is the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company with exclusive use of the Isle of Man Sea Terminal, and the Douglas port linkspans under the conditions of the user agreement negotiated with the Isle of Man Government.
The Isle of Man register comprises 226 ships of 1,000 GRT or over, totalling 6,055,436 GRT or 9,972,459 metric tons deadweight (DWT). This figure includes some foreign-owned ships registered on the Island as a flag of convenience: Australia, 3; Cyprus, 4; Denmark, 30; Estonia, 3; France, 1; Germany, 57; Greece, 8; Hong Kong, 11; Iceland, 1; Italy, 6; Monaco, 4; Netherlands, 2; New Zealand, 1; Norway, 10; Singapore, 2; Sweden, 3; United Kingdom, 80; United States, 1.
A breakdown of ships by type: bulk, 25; cargo, 40; chemical tanker, 25; combination bulk, 2; container, 19; liquefied gas, 31; multi-functional large load carrier, 1; petroleum tanker, 59; refrigerated cargo, 1; roll on/roll off, 17; specialised tanker, 1; vehicle carrier, 5.
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