SEGREGATED bike lanes should be introduced in St Helier, according to Constable Simon Crowcroft – who said town pedestrian and cycling facilities were “inadequate”.
He spoke out after a recent Infrastructure report revealed that Jersey had a higher proportion of road casualties than the UK and much of Europe, and that two-thirds of collisions involved pedestrians and cyclists.
Speaking to the JEP, Mr Crowcroft said: “The new minister is currently pushing for better walking and cycling facilities in St Helier. I am fully behind that.
“We need to come across to people that pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users.
“We have a relatively high number of road casualties. That’s not a record to be proud of. The more we can do to protect road users, the better.”
Mr Crowcroft, who is also an Assistant Infrastructure Minister and keen cyclist, said he would like St Helier to replicate the cycling networks seen in parts of the UK and Europe. He added: “I want to see a network of safe routes to make it much safer to walk and cycle.
“Most towns have already done that – certainly in France, they’re more aware of that. London of course has more space, but they have segregated cycle lanes.”
He supported segregated bike lanes for Jersey too, stressing that they were the safest option and were becoming more popular internationally.
“The best solution for us is to put cyclists in their own space.
“What happens then is that you can actually get about more quickly on bicycles.” He added that this, in turn, was better for the environment.
“I think the infrastructure is really important because you can’t really expect people to put their children on bicycles when there is no segregated cycle path.
“It only takes one inattentive driver to potentially have a life-changing collision.
“I do think we have been very slow as an Island to introduce segregated cycle routes.”
