Vale may act itself to tackle dangerous roads problem
VALE parish officials have raised concerns with Traffic and Highway Services about what they see as safety issues affecting two roads in the parish.
And because the States body is unlikely to be able to do anything about either in a hurry, it is thinking of paying for improvements itself.
The douzaine has acted having considered risks highlighted by parishioners.
The two areas are at Bordeaux and the junction of Braye Road and Vale Avenue, by Iceland.
Both were discussed by the douzaine at its last meeting.
Senior constable Richard Leale said the problem at Bordeaux was a particular worry.
‘Quite a few people walk there,’ he said, ‘and are at risk as they go round the bend from Rue de Bordeaux into Castle Road. There’s no pavement and the danger is that traffic hugs the sea wall and risks hitting pedestrians.’
Because the road there is quite wide, the douzaine has suggested adding a footpath, effectively extending the path which runs along Rue du Bordeaux.
In response, T&HS said that adding infrastructure to promote active travel and the safety of vulnerable road users was one of its key objectives and Bordeaux fell within this remit.
However, it was unlikely that it would be prioritised in the immediate future, due to limited resources. T&HS was having to focus on projects accessing and within St Peter Port, the Bridge and those around schools.
Mr Leale said he understood why Traffic had responded as it had and was pleased the matter was on its to-do list.
‘What concerns me is that we have had a number of near misses,’ he said.
Even painting a ‘white line pavement’ or adding cross-hatching to encourage traffic to take a wider line would help, he said.
‘We feel so strongly about this that we’re happy to use a contractor of our own to do the work and pay for it,’ he said.
Longer term, he hoped that Traffic would consider re-configuring the layout of the junction so that the main road was changed to continue around the coast, the predominant direction of the traffic.
The other issue raised was crossing at Route des Coutures, where people avoid using the zebra crossing by Freelance to cross the busy road by Iceland instead.
The douzaine is prepared to launch a petition to get action if necessary.
In response, T&HS said that it already had designs produced for a crossing in addition to the existing one, but it had yet to be confirmed to be progressed. They were also looking at the entire area as part of the WSP Mobility Plan for the north of the island.
Mr Leale said he was grateful for these responses and would be maintaining contact with the authorities to see if these safety improvements could be made as soon as possible.
