Parliament Square in Ramsey, terminus of three A roads
Ramsey is the second largest urban area on the Isle of Man, and also the only town to the north of the mountains. It has grown up around the mouth of the Sulby River, and the harbour area is still an active port with a working quayside and boatyard. To the south of the harbour, Parliament Street is a bustling town centre with a good range of shops, including a few British chain stores, with the town spreading out to the south and west and also north of the river.
The main routes into Ramsey are the A2, A3 and A18, with the first and last connecting to Douglas the island capital. Despite the A2 looking to be the shorter route along the coast, it winds through many villages meaning that the A18 Mountain Road is far busier with traffic. The A3, meanwhile, heads west through a string of villages to Kirk Michael, where it turns south to reach Peel and the south of the island, perhaps quicker than trying to navigate through Douglas.
The A3 and A18 meet at Parliament Square in the town centre, which is the north eastern corner of the island's famous TT Circuit. Riders come into town along the A3 before turning south to tackle the Mountain Road to Douglas. Both routes have footbridges to connect the town together during races, but there is no link for traffic. The A2 ends on the A18 a little to the south, while the A9 leads north from the junction. Once across the river, the A9 passes two forks before leaving the town on its way to Andreas. The first is the A13 which forks left to head for Jurby, and soon after the A3 forks right on its journey around the north coast through Bride to reach Ballaugh back on the A3.
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