Onchan

The congested A2 passing through the middle of Onchan

Onchan was originally a separate village from Douglas, but in the last fifty or so years the fields between them have all been built over so that Onchan is now effectively just a suburb of the Island Capital. It does, however, still retain a separate council, as well as its own shopping centre and facilities. Onchan had already grown south to the coast at Onchan Head in Victorian times, and in the 1890s the Isle of Man Electric Railway was built along the coast from the horse tramway terminus, ultimately reaching Ramsey. Both of these remain popular with tourists today, leading to a number of level crossings along the promenade.

The main routes through Onchan are the A2 through the old village centre and the A11 along the coast. The A38 connects the two, running from the centre of Onchan down to the promenade towards the centre of Douglas, while the A39 heads north to reach the A18, Mountain Road, which skirts the edge of Onchan. The final A road is the strange A35, which heads south from the centre of the village towards the coast, but stops about 80m short of reaching the A11 in a confusion of very short B roads. There seems to be no real logic to this situation.

Routes

Route	To	Notes
A2	The SOUTH, Airport (A5), Peel (A1), Hospital
A2	Ramsey, Laxey
A39	The NORTH via Mountain Road (A18)
A35
A38	Douglas, ferries
B31	Molly Carrooin's Cottage, St. Peter's Church, Groudle Glen Railway