Infrastructure and our travelling habits require change if population grows
I WOULD like to respond to Brenda Bailey’s correspondence that was published on 29 February and your opinion piece on 23 February.
In order to avoid a significant increase in the tax burden on islanders in the future, the States of Guernsey has a working assumption that we will be growing the economically active population and also have a commitment to providing more housing. This will inevitably lead to more journeys on the island and a consequent significant increase on the strain on our on-island transport system.
We already have a congestion problem, mainly caused by poor existing infrastructure and a very high reliance on making journeys by car, usually with only one occupant. We see what happens at busy times when just one arterial route is closed and recently when we have had two or three closed, things get much worse. Imagine if that were normal due to a higher population if the infrastructure and our habits do not change.
It is likely that any change will be unpopular for some … or for many, so it has to be planned well with alternatives being made available – travel hubs, one-ways, shared mobility schemes, lift sharing, more bike infrastructure, smaller buses, etc.
This will require significant planning and resource and goes hand-in-hand with the provision of more housing. Consequently it is wise to engage an expert in this area. The cost is a drop in the ocean compared to the loss of economic activity caused by people being stuck in traffic as a matter of course.
BARRIE DUERDEN