Traffic, tourism and economy among election concerns
Residents and business owners in Onchan discuss key concerns ahead of the House of Keys election.
Traffic, tourism and the economy are among the election issues
Sally Hellwich has lived in Onchan for 30 years and runs a family business
People living and working in Onchan say traffic, tourism and the cost of living are among their main concerns ahead of the 2026 House of Keys election.
The constituency has the second largest population on the Isle of Man after Douglas, and is located on the east coast.
Sally Hellwich, who runs a family travel business, has lived in Onchan for 30 years. She said she had "lived, worked, and breathed Onchan" and was "sad" that no candidates had treated tourism as a priority.
She said: "I truly believe that tourism underpins the Isle of Man. And if we don't have tourists, we're not generating income for the economy."
As a mother, she added that housing was another major issue for younger generations.
She said: "There's not enough access to housing," adding: "Trying to get on the housing ladder now is just ridiculous."
Onchan is the second largest populated constituency on the island
For Onchan mum Lara, speeding traffic through the town is a major concern, particularly with children walking to school on their own.
A rollout of more 20mph zones around the island, including near schools and residential areas, began under the previous administration.
The all-island scheme began in Port Erin in 2025 after Tynwald unanimously voted in 2020 to back speed reductions in urban areas.
As it expanded further north, the locations were opposed by residents worried about congestion.
Many children walk along the village's main road to get to school
Lara also welcomed the introduction of more 20mph zones and said she could not understand why "there was so much resistance to it."
She added that in cities like Belfast there are commonly "speed bumps on the road around schools, but they don't have any of that" on the island.
Meanwhile, for Onchan business owners Dinko Matevski and Liliya Slavova, the cost of living was their biggest concern.
Dinko Matevski and Liliya Slavova have run a cafe in Onchan for three years
Originally from Bulgaria, they have lived on the island for more than 14 years and have run a cafe in the town's Village Walk area for the last three.
Matevski said rising stock prices were "crazy", adding that "every day our suppliers are coming with new prices and we're trying to survive".
Slavova said: "We want to have staff, but we cannot afford it."
Over the past three years she has also noticed a change in customer habits, with people cutting back their orders.
"They're struggling," she said.
The Isle of Man House of Keys election takes place on 24 September, with polling stations around the island open from 08:00 to 20:00 BST.