St Andrew's cross over humps plan

DISSATISFACTION with plans to lay speed humps in Route de St Andre dominated the St Andrew's parish meeting. It was held in the hall of the primary school, the beneficiary of the traffic calming which has left residents up in arms.

The Environment Department has put up notices either side of the crossing place near the church car park publicising its plans for speed humps on the approaches.

'The road needs to be made safe for the one-and-a-half hours every weekday during term time when children are crossing it and a professional external review found that speed humps alone would be insufficient,' said Douzenier Dale Hubber-Richard.

The humps would be incapable of making the road safer for the short time needed and would disrupt traffic on a major route into town for the vast majority of the time, he said.

'Your thoughts are echoed by 99% of people in this room and across the parish,' said dean of the douzaine John Domaille.

Environment commissioned a consultancy firm to review the crossing in March 2004 following calls from the school PTA to address safety. It recommended traffic lights, a reduced speed limit and speed humps.

'If they were willing to commission some experts, I can't understand why they won't listen to their opinion,' said Mr Domaille.

Douzeniers last week met Environment minister Bernard Flouquet.

Mr Domaille said the minister was clearly a man unaffected by public opinion.

Godfray Guilbert added: 'It was quite clear that he came with a totally closed mind and it was an absolutely pointless meeting.'

Mr Hubber-Richard said Deputy Flouquet was the kind of man not to take any criticism from below.

More than 30 parishioners attended the meeting to approve the parish accounts for the last 12 months and proposed expenditure for the coming year.

It was opened by Dean of Guernsey the Very Rev. Canon Paul Mellor who led the Lord's Prayer.

Churchwarden John Lee presented the accounts regarding the parish church.

Restoration work, which included reroofing a large section and totally repainting the interior, has been completed. The entire church is now structurally sound.

'It is great news for the douzaine as the church is in great shape and all the renovations were completed '7,000 under budget,' said Mr Lee.

Special thanks were paid to John Bougourd for his upkeep of the cemetery and Joan Le Mesurier, the parish clerk.