The Havre des Pas Masterplan also suggests making the road one-way and establishing more green spaces in an effort to reduce traffic and make the area more attractive to visitors.
A waterbus would take passengers to town and eastwards towards St Clement if the plans receive backing.
St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft has also raised the possibility of improving other parts of town including by restricting the type of vehicles that can access Conway Street, Broad Street and Library Place to public service vehicles, delivery vans and disabled drivers, so they can access disabled parking.
And he added that the conversion of the northern section of Bath Street into a one-way system was ‘fairly inevitable’.
An exhibition showing the possible ways of transforming Havre des Pas is open at the Ommaroo Hotel until Wednesday, and at the Town Hall from Thursday until the end of the consultation on 27 March.
The proposals, which have been put forward by the Havre des Pas Improvement Group, have two objectives: to ‘reduce significantly the volume of traffic passing through the area, particularly on Havre des Pas and Green Street’ and ‘redefining the area as a residential village’ which is more attractive to visitors.
The group will consider the responses from the public before putting together a final plan for the area. It will then be put before the parish and the States for approval.
Discussing the ideas, Mr Crowcroft said he thought land around La Collette could be repurposed to entice Islanders and visitors to visit Havre des Pas.
‘There are a number of quirky ideas that the group have come up with and a waterbus is just one of them. There is also a suggestion of a viewing platform at La Collette as a sort of hide for watching birds,’ he said.
‘Putting in watersports along there was another but these are not new ideas – when the reclamation site was redeveloped, the possibility of improving access for walkers and cyclists was discussed and some marine-based activities along that area would be very welcome.
‘There is quite a lot of land there which is administered by the States which I think could be repurposed. And maybe we could put some parking in there, which could support Havre des Pas for people who want to spend a day on the beach or go to a restaurant – particularly now that we have The Lido up and running. I understand that Marcus Calvani, who is running it, has plans for lots of events.’
However, Mr Crowcroft said that while the waterbus idea was worth exploring, it was not a priority.
‘The group wanted to see some water-based activities in that area and this could just be one of them. The parish would not run it but an entrepreneur could come forward and run some water-based activities and that might be one of them.
‘We could soon have a seaplane flying to Guernsey out of St Helier and I think this would tie in to the fact that there is a lot of maritime heritage in Havre des Pas. But it is less fundamental compared to things like parking and changing the streets to let people walk around at their leisure.’
During rush hour, traffic normally backs up along the route, all the way into town.
In an effort to improve the situation, the Havre des Pas Improvement Group have suggested converting the route into a one-way system.
Addressing the potential concerns of drivers using the area, Mr Crowcroft said that if the idea improved conditions for businesses and residents of the area then commuters using cars would need to find alternative ways to travel.
He also said that if the one-way system was implemented, it could not be to the detriment of bus services.
‘A lot of these schemes pander to the needs of commuters but they [commuters] are not adding any value to Havre des Pas businesses or the lives of residents.
‘In the States’ Island policies, it says that we should be encouraging people to get out of their cars and find other ways of getting to work. The time has come for them to show that they mean business.
‘If we keep on letting the amount of traffic increase and go in the opposite direction to our strategic policies then we may as well stop making them. If we re-allocate certain areas to add more space for businesses and residents and it means that commuters had a slightly longer drive, then so be it.’
Mr Crowcroft also spoke about implementing traffic restrictions on Bath Street and Conway Street in an effort to reduce congestion in the town centre and improve air quality.
‘We have been speaking about improvements to Bath Street for decades. It is very narrow at the bottom end, where there is two-way traffic, and I think having a one-way system is fairly inevitable there. We cannot expect people on two wheels or those walking to risk their lives,’ he said.
‘There is a much higher priority for public service vehicles, like buses and taxis, disabled drivers and delivery drivers to come into the town centre.
‘Conway Street and Broad Street are used as an alternative to the ring road and there are very few historical places in Europe that would allow that to happen. You have got to ask if the traffic is adding any value to town.’
