Guernsey Press

Road safety a big concern for neighbours of Oatlands

DEVELOPMENTS that could affect road safety in Oatlands Lane should not be looked at in isolation, according to people in the area.

Published
Last updated
Michelle Mahy, pictured with children Scarlett, 7, and Jax, 3, said the amount of development being considered near Oatlands Lane, where she has lived all her life, was ‘quite scary’. (Pictures by Sophie Rabey, 29096299)

St Sampson’s constable Paul Le Pelley said while the parish was not opposed to the approval of a drive-through takeaway at Oatlands, it was a popular site that would only add more stress and strain to an already busy area.

‘Few people keep to the 20mph speed limit in Oatlands Lane anyway and you can’t ignore the prospect that with a two-school model of secondary education, St Sampson’s High School could be expanded to take 1,400 pupils, which would make it busier,’ he said.

‘We want confirmation that things will not be considered in isolation and that the bigger picture will be taken into account.’

Civil servant Michelle Mahy has lived in Oatlands Lane all her life. She agreed that planning applications should not be considered on their own.

‘It’s quite scary for us down here when you think of what people are applying for,’ she said.

‘Traffic using the lane probably doubled when Baubigny and Les Effards were made one-way and now we have housing developments lined up at Delancey, Belle Greve and maybe the Saltpans too,’ she said.

‘I’ve seen schoolchildren having to jump into the hedge already when traffic crosses the white lines of the pedestrian/cycle contraflow and a proper pavement would be a lot better. There are also three riding stables in the area. Sooner or later someone will get seriously injured or killed down here.’

Childminder Ginny Heaume has lived in Oatlands Lane for more than 10 years. She had no great objection to a drive-through takeaway at Oatlands.

‘We spent the last four years banging our heads against the wall over plans to create industrial units on a site down here,’ she said.

‘I might have asked more questions about Oatlands, but with all the stress we were put under previously, by the time it was published I had lost the will.

‘When we first came here the lane was two-way traffic and it’s better now. But traffic still crosses the white lines on the contraflow and some cyclists don’t realise that you’re supposed to ride with the traffic when going from Les Gigands towards Route Militaire.’

Neville Paul is not against the Oatlands plan, but would like a pavement put in to make the lane safer. (29096301)

Engineer Neville Paul has lived in Oatlands Lane for about seven years.

‘I’m not against the Oatlands application but I was very much against turning the vinery into industrial units, which would have brought some heavy traffic down here,’ he said.

‘We do tend to get youngsters racing down here in the evenings and I think a pavement could be a good idea.’