ANGRY residents have hit out at the delay in repairing a sinkhole that has closed part of the St Helier ringroad since mid-December, and the failure to enforce “access only” measures applying to diversions.
Although it is not part of the official diversion around the closed section of Rouge Bouillon, Clarendon Road has been used as an alternative by many motorists, creating what homeowner Tim Coughlin described as “intolerable” noise and air pollution.
Mr Coughlin said there were long periods during every weekday when traffic backed up from the junction of Clarendon Road and Val Plaisant, and that Saturdays were also particularly bad.
The Infrastructure Department has described the work to repair the road and make surrounding buildings safe as “highly complex”, with the project set to stretch into May, several weeks after a previous deadline of Easter was missed.
Air pollution was noticeably higher and had caused headaches and anxiety, Mr Coughlin said, with additional concern about a GP surgery being unable to ensure the prompt arrival of an ambulance in the event of an emergency.
“The noise and pollution are intolerable,” he said. “My mother-in-law has had a notable increase in her allergies and has been forced to tape her windows and spend as little time as possible in her road-facing lounge.
“We have been forced to install secondary glazing in our road-facing bedroom and have ordered the same for our lounge room, while out vet informed us yesterday that the poor health of our cat is likely related to noise, chemical pollution and elevated levels of stress.”
St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft, who is also an Assistant Infrastructure Minister, lives in Clarendon Road and echoed Mr Coughlin’s criticism.
“The most recent communication was that the completion date would be moving back from 2 May to 11 May, which is another nine days’ disruption,” he said. “People are justifiably frustrated that it has taken so long, and I’m convinced that other jurisdictions would have dealt with it in a far more timely fashion.”
Mr Crowcroft said it was probably too late to enforce the access-only provision for Clarendon Road and the diversion, adding that he would like to have seen air quality monitoring equipment have been used in the area.
“It’s a narrow street with high-sided buildings and vehicles queue for long periods with their engines running,” he said.
“The experience in the past few months has demonstrated how difficult it is for those who live on the ring road and have to put up with the noise and air pollution the whole time, and makes me question whether more commitment should be shown to volumes of traffic and vehicle emissions.”
The Infrastructure Department has pledged to open the affected stretch of road “at the earliest possible opportunity” – see page 9.
