Road safety group hopes to harness people power in app

At the most recent meeting of the newly-formed Road Safety Alliance, there was a presentation of an app which would allow islanders to report any traffic issues, such as dangerous hotspots, near misses, obstructed pavements, road layouts, or inspiration

on how to make things run smoother.

It works by users dropping a pin on a map and posting their opinions, and others can also weigh in with their feedback.

The idea is that the app, which is called commonplace, would be an easy place for States departments to collect useful data from the public.

The Road Safety Alliance is an umbrella organisation which includes groups including Living Streets, the Guernsey Bicycle Group, the Guernsey Motor Trade Association, CT Plus, the Health Improvement Commission, the douzaines and the police.

They gave a generally positive reaction to the app at the meeting, but the sticking point was the £6,000 to £7,000 price tag.

Dani Bennett from Living Streets said instead of people getting cross on social media, it would be a more effective way of bringing about change.

‘The government has a limited budget, the traffic department can only spend so much on road safety, so if they can see through the app that a particular location is a really problematic area then they could target resources.

‘If you drop a pin other people can see there’s a pin there and what others have said, and you can corroborate by liking it so the numbers build up in that area.

‘It’s a way for the community to come together and affirm ideas about what they would like to see done in a certain place.

‘Anecdotally when you meet up with friends someone will say “I would do this and this in that area”, it’s a subject that everyone seems to have an opinion on.

‘The government keeps going on about evidence-based decisions, but how are they getting their evidence?

‘People do want to highlight issues they’ve identified but there’s no effective mechanism for doing that.’

Guernsey Police currently collect data on road fatalities and road traffic accidents, but close calls are usually unreported, raising the question of whether early reporting could have prevented one of those accidents.

Mrs Bennett knows where she would drop a pin on the map.

‘Near the Capelles school there’s heavy congestion around school drop-off and pick-up times, and it’s quite dangerous for children walking along the road, the pavement is too narrow and there’s not enough room for two cars, so it gets completely gridlocked even though there are special constables directing the traffic.

‘So should it be one-way for example and what reaction would people give to that? You could get a real idea of whether people think that’s positive or negative.

‘It’s how to share these busy roads, these conversations have to take place and there’s no perfect solution, if we acknowledge there’s a problem why don’t we try to get the community involved to solve it?’

The challenge now for the Road Safety Alliance is convincing the States that digital engagement would be an effective way of sharing ideas and is worthy of investment.