- Project to install traffic-calming measures in St Mary could cost £800,000
- Parishioners backed the scheme, St Mary Constable has reminded them
- Islanders voice disapproval online, questioning the use of public money
- What do you think – worthy project or waste of money? Take our poll below.
A CONTROVERSIAL traffic-calming scheme in St Mary has been defended by senior politicians following an outpouring of online public criticism.
Parish Constable Juliette Gallichan backed the £250,000 granite section of raised road that now sits outside St Mary’s Church and is designed to reduce the speed of motorists.
However, the scheme has sparked outrage among hundreds of Islanders and in a JEP online poll 95 per cent of readers described the structure as a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Readers took to the JEP’s Facebook page to vent their frustration.
But Mrs Gallichan said she felt it was in keeping with its surroundings, and reminded the public that it was an option they had chosen following a lengthy consultation period.
Money for the parish-wide project has been provided through a scheme introduced by the Transport Department to fund a road improvement project in one parish each year. The department has a budget of £500,000 every year until 2018.
Setting that money aside for parish and village regeneration was a move that was championed by Senator Philip Ozouf when he was the Island’s Treasury Minister.
This morning he said the St Mary project was not yet complete and that people should wait until it was finished before airing their views.
‘Today the vast majority of people now regard the St Aubin improvements as being safer and better for pedestrians, cyclists and traders.
‘These are long-term infrastructure improvements. I have confidence that the municipal authorities will secure the same improvements in St Mary and best value for taxpayers’ money in all schemes.
‘I would urge people not to jump to inflammatory comments on a scheme that has not yet been finished.
‘Let’s judge these schemes when they are complete.’
Chris Sampson, director of infrastructure and engineering for Transport and Technical Services, said the total cost of all the works across the parish could rise to around £800,000.
The second phase of work for the project was due to begin this week with another raised road being created outside of St Mary’s school.
A public pathway running past the school is also being constructed.
Last week, former St Mary Deputy John Le Bailly labelled the project as a ‘nonsensical waste of taxpayers money’ and he criticised the use of French granite and the need for a central bronze plaque.
Asked why granite for the raised section was imported from France, Mr Sampson said: ‘We put the supply of granite out to tender and no Jersey company responded. In the past with schemes like this granite has always come from France because they can supply it cheaper and it is our job to keep costs down.
‘This is what the majority of people requested and if some people don’t like it then that’s fair enough.’
He added that a bronze-plaque in the certain of structure was an ‘architectural design’ to help the project stay in keeping with the parish scenery and only cost a ‘couple of hundred pounds’.
Mrs Gallichan said: ‘Once the whole scheme is in place it will become much more obvious. I have seen comments online saying you can’t take this junction at speed, well that is the idea.
‘We have had public consultations and a project board who unanimously approved this. This was not a scheme we just put up – it was backed by the public.’
VERY few stories have provoked such a wave of hostile online comments as a report in Saturday’s JEP about the new granite roundabout in St Mary.
Many expressed anger on the JEP’s Facebook page or at jerseyeveningpost.com, while others simply voiced a resignation which comes from years of seeing public money thrown at white elephants, vanity projects and outside consultants.
The wound – just like the ugly black tarmac which signals your arrival at the new granite roundabout – is still fresh and the roundabout will, in time, become another granite feature of an already beautiful village.
The backlash over the ‘village improvement’ scheme in St Aubin has subsided and it is likely that the same will happen to the work in St Mary, which is still far from finished and includes a new path to improve pedestrian safety.
But before anger can turn to acceptance, and until public opinion finds another target for its displeasure, someone needs to explain why we needed the thing in the first place.
It is not the aesthetics of the scheme – few would argue it makes the village look worse – or even the decision to create what looks like a village square in the middle of a main thoroughfare which have hit such a raw nerve, but the perception that money is still being frittered away on the unnecessary and frivolous.
It seems unlikely that the raised roundabout will stop people speeding as that will only be achieved if the limit is enforced.
Money for the village improvements in St Mary was granted from the fiscal stimulus fund, which was created to keep the economy ticking over and Islanders in work during the recession.
The way to restore the credibility of the project is for those behind it to show that it achieved those ends – and that means being open about how the money has been spent and how the criteria of fiscal stimulus have been met.
That information is missing from the current debate.
At a time when public finances are once again under considerable pressure, and with millions having to be cut from the budgets of all departments, anything other than full transparency and accountability will fall woefully short of the mark.
Looks a bit weird. Is it a normal road as it looks like a roundabout when driving on it. Very confusing if you ask me
Edd De Loynes
A complete waste of our money again. Wouldn’t want to be a bike rider in the wet – going to cause more problems than ever
Shane Burnouf
The money could have been spent far more appropriately – it just looks wrong
Debbie du Feu
I think they have just tried to make a road bump look fancy.
Stacy Cahill
First the speed limit change, without any warning, then the traffic calming, now they’ve removed those and added a slippery speed bump, roundabout, but potholes all over the island remain.
Harry Lewis
How many tourists are going to be confused about this over the summer… and how many crashes. It’ll be removed within 2 years.
Josh Keogh
Such a great piece of road design that an honorary needs to be posted to explain it to drivers!
Michael Bisson
What a waste of money. Who ever thought of this should be sacked! I am glad to see our taxes being put to good use once again!
Steve Le Galle
Is it made with gold?
Martin Campbell
Why wasn’t local granite used? Try to buy local they say!
Tim Atkinson
They will dig it up next week to do the drains and gas
Nicholais Paton
