The Guernsey Road Users Network wants to make the Ruettes Tranquilles network safer.
Three months ago it called for better awareness of their 15mph speed limits.
And now it wants the speed limit to be properly policed.
The current ‘recommended’ speed limit lacks the necessary legal ‘bite’, said GRUN chairwoman Jennifer Merrett.
‘Ruettes Tranquilles should be tranquil,’ she said.
She highlighted the difference that enforceability would make in the event of a collision, suggesting that a mandatory limit could serve as a deterrent and protect more vulnerable road users.
The proposal has been supported by the Better Journey Project, Living Streets Guernsey, the Guernsey Bicycle Group, and the Guernsey Motor Trade Association.
‘If we want all road users to enjoy and respect Ruette Tranquilles then the speed limit needs to be made mandatory so it is a punishable offence if 15mph is exceeded,’ they said in a joint statement.
They said that feedback from the public over the calls for safer lanes had been overwhelmingly positive. Many islanders have told group members that they already assumed the 15mph limit was legally binding.
However, many motorists do not follow the recommended speed limit, which has led to some worrying incidents.
Dani Bennett, a committee member for Living Streets, shared an example of a pedestrian who narrowly avoided a collision while walking his dog. Despite having a number plate, the police could not prosecute due to the advisory nature of the limit.
The concerns extend to Guernsey’s horse community.
Equine therapist Claire Cole highlighted the unpredictability of horses as ‘flight animals’.
Many riders use Ruettes Tranquilles precisely because busier roads are too dangerous, yet encounters with speeding vehicles remain common.
‘You get people coming past, leaving no space between you and the horse,’ Mrs Cole said.
She recounted incidents where horses have ‘freaked out’ and riders have even been knocked unconscious due to vehicles speeding past with insufficient clearance.
She stressed the need for drivers to respect the recommended two-metre passing distance and to exercise patience, allowing riders to find safe spots to pull over before overtaking.
Phil Le Poidevin, chairman of the Guernsey Bicycle Group, said that a mandatory limit would give ‘everyone the confidence to know that coming around the corner, nothing’s going to be going faster than 15 miles an hour’ and would ‘unlock the full potential of Ruettes Tranquilles’.
Even the trade body for the garages in the island, the Guernsey Motor Trade Association, is supporting the proposal.
Robert Cornelius, president of the GMTA, said: ‘As Ruettes Tranquilles are predominantly the narrower winding roads in the quieter areas of Guernsey, the GMTA sees no reason why the current 15mph recommended speed limits could not be made mandatory.
'This is likely to have very little effect on anyone’s daily commute in the island.’
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