Why? Only for one reason really and that is he – more than anyone among the now 38 people’s deputies – seems to understand what mayhem and dangers now daily lie on our roads.
This morning – a Thursday – at just before 8am I walked the 1,000 yards or so from the Lowlands/Tertre junction to the top of the Braye Road Industrial Estate.
Over the course of 10 minutes I watched a dozen or more lorries and wide vehicles – perhaps even 20 – mount the pavement and ride it to allow similar-sized lorries and big vans to progress west.
I stop when one lorry, loaded with scaffolding, surfs the pavement to within five metres of me. The driver looks back with a face of puzzlement after I spread my arms to signal ‘What’s that all about?’
Such traffic levels down this way are normal nowadays, and as I progress I recall the horror of many years ago now, that at such time in the morning a young lad on a push-bike was killed riding in front of the old Coq du Nord. I’ll never forget it.
Would I allow a child of mine ride this route now, at this time of day? Would I hell.
It’s bad and only getting worse.
Ross Le Brun highlighted the state of our roads in a thought provoking pre-election Press feature before the by-election, and I wonder how many votes the piece won him come election day.
The big problem, of course, is that the cat has got out of the bag on this one.
The regulations on lorry, car and van sizes, have comfortably allowed growth in vehicle size to reach a situation where the only way to progress along some roads is to surf the pavement.
I can’t see them shrinking.
When I think back 60 years when my dad drove a large red tomato lorry for CH Fuzzey, that lorry was probably just two-thirds the width of today’s big-uns and, of course, they are seemingly getting bigger as are the tractors.
Ah yes... tractors.
I would like to know how hard – if at all – Ronez had to push for allowance of the mega-sized tractors which are running between Mont Cuet and Les Vardes every weekday.
And when I use the word speed, it appears to me that they travel at far too great a rate of knots than they should be. Have they got speed-limiters?
Personally, I would favour a 20mph limit for all lorries and tractors – everywhere.
Yes, those limitations will frustrate the hell out of their drivers, but something has to be done to make our roads safer.
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