Broadway Roundel is a recent addition to Douglas promenade, having been completed in 2021. It is an unusual painted roundabout which connects the A22, Broadway, to the A11, Promenade next to the Villa Marina. Although functioning as a roundabout, there is no central island, just a series of four concentric painted ellipses which act as a guide to circulating traffic. In order to accommodate the new junction the famous Horse Tramway has been (possibly temporarily) terminated on the promenade a little to the north. As with many junctions in and around Douglas, there are very few direction signs at the junction. Various press reports during and immediately after the construction of the new junction seem to ridicule the design, but as long as drivers treat it as a roundabout, it seems to work well. The real question is why it isn't a proper (mini) roundabout layout.
History
The Roundel replaces a signalised T junction which prevented traffic turning right into the A22, Broadway. The Horse Tramway originally ran along the centre of the A11, forming a sort of dual carriageway, although this in itself seems an unlikely reason behind the right turn ban. Traffic from Broadway, and the southern part of the A11 had two lanes for turning traffic, while the southbound A11 also had two lanes these were in preparation for the next junction to the south.
