Cycle 4 Jersey, which encourages cycling and sustainable transport, said there was too much red tape involved in attempting to reduce speed limits and despite positive discussions with the parish, the group had been frustrated with the lack of progress made by the Infrastructure Department.
Currently, any parish that wishes to change speed limits has to submit a plan to the Infrastructure Department, which will carry out a technical review and recommend any changes. These are then put to community consultations and further reviews by the department and the Road Safety Panel.
A final plan is then submitted to the Infrastructure Minister and research is conducted by law officers, who study each road in question before signing off on the amendments.
Cycle 4 Jersey said they had held positive discussions with St Saviour Constable Sadie Le Sueur-Rennard, who believes more responsibility should be given to the Roads Committees in each parish.
A spokesperson for the group said: ‘We need to encourage kids to adopt a healthy lifestyle and cycle to school. In order to do that, we need to make sure they are safe and reassure parents that their kids have safe routes to school.
‘There are endless benefits to cycling to school, including a healthier society and less air pollution. But we will never get there if we don’t provide access for everyone.
‘The Constable is committed to making changes in the parish. However, we have been left frustrated by the lack of progress from the Infrastructure Minister [Kevin Lewis] and the lack of immediate action.’
One example the group highlighted as a cause for concern was the positioning of a pole preventing cyclists from passing through on Chasse Brunet. The road was closed to through traffic in 2018 after the parish installed a wooden gate across it. A wooden pole was installed either side of the gate to prevent mopeds from passing through the gap.
The pole was repositioned amid concerns that it was preventing cyclists from passing through and forcing them onto the pavement.
However, the spokesperson for Cycle 4 Jersey said the new position was still forcing wider bikes onto the pavement, causing ‘danger to pedestrians using the path’.
The parish is currently conducting a public survey regarding potential changes to Bel Air Lane in order to make the road safer for children travelling to school – something Cycle 4 Jersey supports.
Meanwhile, Mrs Le Sueur-Rennard said greater responsibility needed to be given to each parish’s Roads Committee when deciding on changes to particular roads.
‘We know our roads best and what is right and wrong for the parish,’ she said. ‘We could hold a parish assembly, take a vote and then the Infrastructure Department could be consulted.
‘However, the Infrastructure Department and the law officers have the final say and I think a lot of parishes have been disappointed that immediate action is not being taken to change the speed limits of their roads.’
‘We want to introduce safer routes on these roads and this would mean minimising the contact cyclists and pedestrians have with the main road by providing access paths for them.’
Deputy Lewis, who represents St Saviour No 2 district, said his department was looking at making every road in the Island safer.
‘My team are going parish by parish and researching what is best for each one. Covid-19 has delayed the process but we are working on it,’ he said.
Deputy Lewis admitted that the process for changing speed limits was ‘lengthy’ but said it was ‘necessary’.
He said: ‘It is not as simple as just changing a road, we have to look at all the joining roads as we need consistency. There is also the legal aspect and looking at the requirements of those living on the road.
‘We are working as fast as we can in order to meet the needs of each parish.’
