Gov spent £5,000 on ramps that are illegal to use on Jersey roads

Friday 15 December 2023

The trial of a controversial new road scheme due to take place this month was postponed because the government had ordered ramps which do not meet the legal requirements for Jersey roads, it has emerged.

Announcing the third postponement of the trial for the St John’s Road one-way system at the end of November, the Government blamed "unforeseen supply and labour issues", as well as resources being diverted to clean up after Storm Ciarán.

However, responses to a recent Freedom of Information request made public a series of emails about the scheme from within the Government's transport team – revealing that the wrong ramps had been purchased, at a cost of £5,000 to the public purse.

Although the ramps cannot be used on any of the island's public roads, the Government insisted to Express they will not go to waste – suggesting that the could be used on private roads, or on public roads once the law has been updated.

Pictured: "We need to discuss the ramps that were previously ordered which are not in accordance to the Jersey Law requirements."

One of the emails described the ramps ordered for the scheme as "not in accordance of the Jersey Law requirements”. 

Approximately £16,600 has been spent on the overall scheme, including the six VivaCity AI sensors up to the end of November. The exact costs of these have not been disclosed due to commercial sensitivity.

The sensors were installed in October to help gather data on transport modes, traffic flow, and travel patterns as part of the St John's Road one-way trial.

As part of the St John's Road one-way trial, six VivaCity AI sensors are being installed in St Helier from tomorrow, to help gather data on transport modes, traffic flow, and travel patterns.

All data is anonymous and people are not identifiable.

— Infrastructure and Environment (@GovJsyIE) October 9, 2023

These are just the latest in a long series of controversies surrounding the trial to only allow traffic on the lower section of St John’s Road to flow in one direction.

The three-month trial was initially due to start in August.

Under the scheme, traffic going into town would be diverted along Westmount Road and Parade Road.

But when the plans were first published, they were met with criticism, with a senior Government transport planner, who distributed  leaflets in a private capacity to residents in the area, raising concerns about increased traffic on Parade Road, which is home to a care home and a primary school.

Meanwhile, an e-petition opposing the scheme collected more than 1,000 signatures.

Its creator, William Moir, pointed to increased exhaust fumes and the risk of an accident as key concerns.

In response, Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet said it was "only a three-month trial" which would be used to collect data on the scheme.

Pictured: The trial is planned around a one-way system on the lower section of St John's Road, with traffic diverted onto Parade Road.

Following the backlash, the trial was first postponed to after October half-term, and then again to a Monday 4 December start date.

At the end of last month, the trial period for the one-way system was postponed for the third time – meaning it has now been delayed over four months.

TIMELINE...

• Plans to make the lower section of St John's Road one-way were first announced on Monday 26 June. It was at the time scheduled to be in place by the start of autumn term.

• Before the end of June, a senior transport planner shared his concerns about the scheme in a leaflet sent to residents, and an e-petition opposing the scheme was launched.

• Following the criticism, on Friday 4 August, the trial was postponed to after October half-term.

• The scheme did not start after October half-term.

• On Wednesday 15 November, Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet responded to the petition, saying the scheme was just a three-month trial and would serve to gather data. The 4 December was mentioned as a start date.

• On Tuesday 28 November, the Government issued an update, complete with maps of the roadworks, saying that the trial would start next Monday 4 December and gave dates for temporary road closures, when the scheme was due to be installed.

• On Thursday 30 November, the scheme was postponed again until the start of the new year, with no exact date set yet.