Temporary barriers could solve crossing
HOW'S this for a simple solution to the problem that appears to have dominated our media coverage over the past few months – the Albert Pier and the courtesy crossing. It looks to me that the move of the cruise visitors' arrival point to the Albert Pier is a done deed and, in my opinion we need to accept that. After all, we have invested rather a lot of money in making the move.
The problem appears to be moving the cruise passengers from the landing point to the Town Church and beyond while doing our best not to disrupt the way us residents use the pier. I suggest that on the day of 'cruise' visits a line of crowd control barriers are placed down the pier parallel to the Albert Marina which would serve to channel cruise visitors along to the traffic controlled lights near the bus station. Once across they would then make their way to the centre of town using the crossing from the Picquet House over to the Town Church. Having been on a number of cruises I can state that my proposal would not present an unrealistic distance to walk.
Those visitors intending to take a coach tour would meet their coach at the bus station which would need to become a shared facility. I feel sure that our present scheduled bus operator would oppose this but believe that a solution could be agreed based on the limited number of 'cruise days' and that the pick-up and drop-off would only account for a small amount of inconvenience.
This suggestion would, in my view, mean that far fewer valuable car parking spaces would have to be given up. I've tried to find the 'holes' in this approach but believe that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. The cost factors alone are well worth considering – my idea utilises what we presently have without the need to throw any more money at the problem. It gives our cruise visitors a safe, comfortable walk into the town centre with the flow controlled by two sets of traffic lights. It also allows more of us residents to park on the pier and to use the courtesy crossing in the way that we've enjoyed for many years.
However, there is a downside – I am not a qualified traffic consultant based somewhere in the UK charging 'A Kings Ransom' for my solution. My idea is given freely and its implementation will cost next to nothing. Because there is no cost, in today's world the idea is without merit.
BRUCE WALLACE
