St Johns, is the home of Tynwald Hill, the historic meeting place of the Isle of Man Parliament, reputedly the oldest continuous parliament in the world. Despite this, it is a relatively small village, strung along two of the roads that meet in the village, with a couple of small housing estates. Opposite Tynwald Hill are the main shops and hotel, and next to the hill is the old St Johns Church, the two linked with an avenue of Flag Poles. The site is still used for an annual ceremony, and other special occasions.
The village is a hub of roads in the valley that cuts through the middle of the Isle of Man. The valley is traversed by the A1, which connects the island capital of Douglas on the east coast with the Cathedral town of Peel on the west. A little to the east of Tynwald Hill, the A1 crosses the A3 at a signalised crossroads. The A3 is the longest A road on the island, connecting the north and south of the island via the west coast. Due to other connecting routes which are more direct, for most of the year there is surprisingly little turning traffic at what is a busy junction. The exception is during the racing season, as the junction forms the south west corner of the TT Circuit. The route starts in Douglas, follows the A1 west to St Johns, then turns north onto the A3 to head for Kirk Michael and Ramsey.
Most of the village lies along the A1 to the west of this junction as far as Tynwald. Opposite the hill, the A40 turns south and connects back to the A3, passing through the other half of the village along the way. There are also two more A roads which head west to the coast. The A20 starts on the A3 to the north and heads west into Peel, meeting the A1 in the town, and can be quite busy, especailly when the A1 itself is busy. The A30, on the other hand, heads west from the A40 to meet the A27 at Patrick, south of Peel, and is very quiet.