The campaign was launched last month by Save Jersey’s Heritage, in partnership with this newspaper.
It is being run to focus the minds of those responsible for public spaces on how our Island should look and feel, while casting a critical eye on cluttered street signage and other inappropriate roadside furniture.
St Lawrence Constable Deidre Mezbourian said she agreed wholeheartedly with the sentiments expressed by the campaigners. ‘I read the coverage of the campaign and it confirmed to me my own beliefs that unnecessary signage is not a good thing,’ Mrs Mezbourian said.
‘It made me take another look at the signage around the Parish Hall area, and last week I had four signs taken down that had stood around the periphery of the church. They were arrow signs that indicated to motorists that they could only drive in one direction past the church. However, it is obvious what direction motorists should travel in that area.’
Mrs Mezbourian said that she has avoided putting up signs in the car park beside the Moignard Liberation Garden, which is next to the church, ever since the garden was opened last year on Liberation Day.
‘I have not put signage in the car park beside the gardens because although there are parking restrictions in place, we have too much unnecessary signage in the Island and it spoils the countryside,’ she said.
‘People are not allowed to park in this car park for more than three hours at a time, but I don’t want to enforce this unless I absolutely have to.
‘Signage is required in some cases in the Island, but we shouldn’t be putting too much up where it’s unnecessary, especially when one sign duplicates another.
‘I also don’t intend to put up any signs saying “welcome to St Lawrence village” or anything like that.We don’t need signs to tell people they are entering a village – we don’t need to spell out what is obvious.’
Mrs Mezbourian, who is also Assistant Home Affairs Minister, added: ‘Our Island, Keeping Jersey Special is a great campaign and I hope it has the same effect on States departments because I think too much unnecessary signage has been put up by States departments.’
Mrs Mezbourian is the latest parish constable to declare her support for the campaign. At the end of last month the Constable of Trinity, Philip Le Sueur, threw his support behind the campaign and announced that he has had a number of road signs in Trinity taken down and refurbished. He is also continuing a project to refurbish four of the parish’s six Victorian finger signs.
