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Every Friday we bring you five things an Islander would change about Jersey. But, this week we are giving you the views of two humans for the price of one…
Laura Butlin and Danny Policarpo are a blogging duo based in Jersey, and are just 'Two Humans Living…' discovering, eating, exploring, styling their way through life in Jersey.
They told Express what they’d change about the Island, if they were given the chance.
There aren’t many downsides to living in Jersey, in fact we count ourselves lucky to live on such a beautiful Island. However, there are not many people who don’t enjoy travelling. The problem is any deal or bargain flights you come across don’t include flying out of Jersey.
Flying in and out of Jersey is often the most expensive part of a trip and it would great to reduce flight prices. Offering more direct flights, even only at certain times of the year, would also offer a great opportunity for Islanders to travel at a more affordable rate.
Not all bus routes are created equally, I can tell you that after moving to Trinity last year, there’s sometimes a wait of 2 hours between buses. The rise in bus fares to £2 per journey is fine if you only need to catch one bus, but if you have to go via town, having to take multiple buses, you can end up spending at least £8 on a return journey, if you don’t have bus travel card. A lot of people would just opt to drive. As well as this the local taxi prices are overpriced considering the amount you pay in other countries for the distance you’re travelling.
We love hearing what locals think about our Island, what their favourite places to go are and any secret spots they covet and are willing to share. Instead of bringing over well-known individuals or celebrities to help promote our Island we wish even more was done to promote locals and share their views. There is so much talent on our Island, but the jobs are often outsourced.
The cost of renting commercial spaces is often unaffordable for those trying to start a business yet there are plenty of empty spaces throughout St. Helier. It would be great to see someone utilise these empty spaces by allowing local start-ups to rent the space at a discounted rate for short time frames.
Not only would these pop-up style establishments bring a breath of fresh air to our high street. It would allow local start-ups the chance to get a feel for running a business, help them get their name out there and give other islanders the opportunity to support them.
From someone who wants to run a restaurant, but doesn't have the financing to rent long-term but is desperate to bring something new to the Jersey food scene, to a local maker who wants to see if they could sell enough of their product to open up full-time - It would create an opportunity for many that they otherwise wouldn’t get, whilst utilising otherwise empty spaces.
As Islanders we love to celebrate, sometimes we don't even need a reason. However, there are some days that hold meaning such as the Battle of Flowers and Liberation Day. We're all for tradition but it would be great to see some fresh ideas on celebrating these special days and to breath new life into them.
On a slightly different note, with Jersey Live no more, it will be interesting to see if any of our amazing local promoters take on the task of trying to gather a mix of big names and local artist together for a similar style event.
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