Shared mobility idea appeals to E&I president
TRANSPORT infrastructure in the north of Guernsey will not cope with the added demand created by large, new developments unless a different approach is taken, the president of Environment & Infrastructure has warned.
‘We don’t have space to meet the island’s housing needs in the same way we’ve done in the past, with car parking allocated to each plot,’ Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez said.
However, she said the Leale’s Yard developers had demonstrated that they were willing to look at the wider perspective of the area around the Bridge and had worked closely with the States, including E&I, during the formation of their plans.
With the caveat that she had not yet seen the detailed planning application, she welcomed some of the innovations described to States members at a presentation on Tuesday evening.
‘From what I understand, they include some really sensible measures to mitigate against further traffic congestion,’ she said.
Chief among these was ‘shared mobility’, whereby multiple vehicles would be owned by ‘car clubs’, each consisting of a number of residents.
‘Instead of having to own, maintain, service, fuel and insure a vehicle, you can just use one when the need arises,’ she said.
‘This means that you are not restricted by the type of vehicle you happen to own. If you need a van to take a mattress to Longue Hougue one day, and a small car to get across the island the next day, you’ll have access to the appropriate vehicle without having to buy, borrow or rent it.’
Deputy de Sausmarez said one of the most important benefits of this system, in the context of the Leale’s Yard development, would be the amount of car parking space that would be saved as a result. She said UK research had indicated that every car used in a shared mobility scheme negated the need to keep 18.5 privately-owned vehicles. This would not necessarily translate locally, she said, but the benefits would nevertheless be significant.
‘Each car takes up about 12 square metres, plus the room required to get in and out of the space,’ she said. ‘We’re going to need plots to be used in a more efficient way to provide what is most badly needed on our island – housing. Personally, I think a scheme like this represents a really good transition to a more sustainable transport system. Not everyone can go by bike or bus, so this is also a really good way of giving people access to cars.’
The plans revealed by the Channel Islands Co-operative Society this week include a multi-storey car park. The total allocation of parking at the 13-acre site, incorporating 328 homes, a supermarket and several retail and light industrial units, is 300 spaces.
