Select a region
A trial of a new one-way system on a St. Helier road has been pushed back into the autumn following backlash from hundreds of islanders – including a senior Government transport planner.
A three-month trial of the plan to only allow traffic on the lower section of St. John’s Road to flow in one direction was due to start this month, but the Government said that a delay would allow "further data gathering" to happen, including monitoring of traffic flow and air quality.
Under the scheme, traffic going into town will be diverted along Westmount Road and Parade Road.
However, while the Government argued it would make the area safer, people living in the area said that it would not have the desired effect and also raised concerns about the level of consultation.
In a leaflet created in a private capacity and distributed to residents in the area, Chartered Transport Planning Professional Rob Hayward argued that the proposal would turn Parade Road – where he lives – into an "accident waiting to happen" for children and elderly people in particular, as Fig Tree House care home and Helvetia House School are located there.
Pictured: A three-month trial of the one-way system was due to start this month.
The road is already narrow, and Mr Hayward said that increased traffic along the road could lead to more accidents.
Mr Hayward also claims that the Parade Road diversion plan could see residents lose their on-street parking and suffer increased noise.
A petition calling for the trial to be halted gathered more than 720 signatures, and 25 islanders shared responses via email following an exhibition about the plans in June.
Announcing that the trial will now take place after half-term, Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet said this morning: "This small stretch of St. John's Road has long been a concern, as it's particularly narrow for two-way traffic and the pavements are also exceptionally slender.
"We want to see if the situation can be improved for St. John's Road residents, and those who walk in the area.
"We've listened to the initial feedback about the scheme - both supportive comments and people's concerns - and we want to be clear about any benefits or issues at the end of the trial. This short delay will enable us to get some more baseline data for comparison."
Senior transport planner pushes back on Gov's one-way proposal
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.