Post-16 campus users ‘should walk or cycle’
WALKING and cycling should be encouraged for those accessing the proposed new Post-16 campus at Les Ozouets, according to the traffic impact assessment of the surrounding area.
The report for Education, Sport & Culture was the result of studies, including traffic counts at junctions and surveys of the current staff of the three establishments that will collectively make up The Guernsey Institute
It is made clear that the access strategy sets out to prioritise the needs of pedestrians and cyclists over other road users both within the site and, where possible, on the surrounding roads.
Although there were few cycle paths around the site of the development, the low speeds on surrounding roads and the low levels of traffic meant they should be considered safe for cyclists, the report stated.
The low speed limit and traffic volumes are also mentioned when the report points out that ‘due to the constrained nature of the local highway network, there are several roads without pedestrian infrastructure, requiring pedestrians to walk on the carriageway’.
Nine off-site junctions were looked at, and of these three were predicted to end up over capacity if measures were not taken.
Les Ozouets Road/Foote’s Lane/Les Baissieres and Fosse Andre/La Couture/Collings Road/Rozel Road already had traffic lights and ‘minor alterations’ to the timing of these should mitigate any issues, said the report, while new traffic lights are suggested to improve the Les Baissieres/Rue de Friquet junction.
The new lights were suggested following an analysis of traffic at the junction and the waiting times experienced.
‘The proposed mitigation scheme is therefore shown to fully mitigate the traffic impacts associated with the proposed development,’ said Arup.
Records of road traffic collisions in the area had 25 classed as slight and none regarded as serious or fatal.
‘The majority of collisions were recorded to have occurred due to driver error and the collision reports primarily involved drivers failing to stop to give way, pulling out in front of other road users or drivers failing to obey road markings and signs.’
There were several collisions involving pedestrians.
‘These collisions are likely to be the result of the typical narrow carriageway widths in Guernsey and reinforces the need to maintain low speed environments (25mph) on roads surrounding the school.’
A number of measures are suggested to encourage the favoured walking and cycling, as well as the use of public transport and car sharing.
Footpaths should be maintained, well-lit and kept clear and an umbrella pool was recommended to help employees who walk to work. The health benefits of both walking and cycling should be promoted.
Secure and sheltered cycle parking areas are also set to be provided alongside showers, lockers and changing facilities and Arup suggested employees could be offered a cycle purchase scheme.
Other ideas included a cycle buddy scheme to help those new to commuting by bike, pool bicycles and accessories, and cycle repair workshops organised.
New bus routes and improved frequency could be explored with the local operators, suggested Arup, while the possibilities of improving existing amenities including bus stops could also be looked at.
