Speed Limits - revised policy (P.1-2004) - amendment

STATES OF JERSEY

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SPEED LIMITS: REVISED POLICY (P.1/2004) – AMENDMENT

Lodged au Greffe on 9th November 2004 by the Connétable of St. Helier

STATES GREFFE

SPEED LIMITS: REVISED POLICY (P.1/2004) – AMENDMENT ____________

1. In paragraph (a)(iii), add the following sub-paragraph –

" (4 ) in other areas such as may be agreed following consultation between individual Parishes and the Committee.".

2. In paragraph (a), after sub-paragraph (iv), add the following sub-paragraph – "( v ) n o speed limit on roads being used for road racing.".
3. After paragraph (b) add a new paragraph (c) –

" (c ) to request the Home Affairs Committee to conclude its investigations into appropriate measures to deter road users from exceeding the speed limit and to report back to the States with its recommendations by July 2005."

a n d  r enumber the following paragraph accordingly.

4. Add a new paragraph (d) as follows –

" (d ) to request the Environment and Public Services Committee to carry out its proposed review of the Green Lane system, and to report back to the States with their recommendations by July 2005.".

CONNÉTABLE OF ST. HELIER

REPORT

1. A s sections 1 and 2 oftheEnvironmentandPublicServicesCommittee's report show, one of the motives for a reviewofspeed limits wastoattempt to introduce more consistency into the matter, thusmakinglife easier for road users, enforcement agencies and the judiciary, and incidentally making a lot of our road signs unnecessary.Indeed, this waswhy the WorkingGroup set up early in 2002 to examine the subject gave serious consideration to two radical alternative proposalsfornon-Green Lane roads: an all Island default' limit of 30m.p.h.,or a two-tier system of35and25m.p.h..

H o w  ever, the public appear to want lower speed limits in certain areas more than a reduction in the

number of changes to speed limits around the Island, as is shown in the number of local 20 and 30 m.p.h. zones in existence, and the large number of outstanding requests for more of the same.

S p e e d limits are, of course contentious, which is probably the reason for the Committee's revised' policy

being so similar to the previous one set out in paragraph 2.6 of the Report. However, paragraph 5.6 is vaguely worded, and if we go by the terms of the Proposition, Parishes will not have sufficient influence over the use of 20 and 30 m.p.h. zones. This will mean that such current departures from the new policy as the 20 m.p.h. zone in St. Peter's village – which the Committee maintains is poorly respected by motorists' will, following consultation', have to be raised to 30 m.p.h., a move which would surely be met with determined opposition by residents of that Parish.

E v e n  if  the  Committee  is  unsuccessful in  taking  retrospective  action  against  this  and other  similar

departures from policy, the Proposition if approved as drafted would permit the long list of outstanding requests for lower speed limits to be dispensed with. To achieve this would be to ride roughshod over the strongly held public views about lowering speed limits in certain areas which will continue to be expressed at Parish Assemblies and Roads Committee meetings, not least in St. Helier . The Island's most densely populated Parish cannot allow the door to be closed by the States to the possibility of introducing 20 m.p.h. zones, such as in the Havre des Pas area, or the Environmental Improvement and Protection Areas (EIPA's) bounded by the Ring Road, David Place and Val Plaisant. St. Helier comprises many small communities whose residents and visitors are surely as entitled to the additional protection conferred by lower speed limits as are the residents of St. Peter, St. Mary and St. Brelade .

T h e purpose of the first set of amendments is to make explicit in the policy that the Parishes have an

impact role in determining where within their boundaries the use of 20 or 30 m.p.h. zones are appropriate, through consultation with the States.

2. M  a nylocal people enjoy the thrills of motor sport,whetheras spectators or participants, andmotor racing also plays a valuablepartinthe Tourism Department'scalendarofevents. While the final amendment may notbe strictly speakingnecessarygiven the useof Traffic Orders to allow road racing to take place on designated roads, a comprehensiveandbalanced policy onspeed control shouldmake it clear that there is a time and a place to driveasfastas possible, within the obvious constraints, especially when such events are asresponsiblyorganised as they are by thelocalmotorsportclubs and associations.
3. T h e Environment and Public Services Committee is not to be faulted for leaving the issues of the enforcement ofspeed limits and sentencing policy foranotherCommitteeto deal with,butenforcement and sentencing are crucial ifany policy concerning speedingisto be effective, and the opportunity should not bemissedof requesting theHome Affairs Committee to bring forward for debate its proposalsto achieve these objectives.

T h e r e is a strong argument that a less patchy system of enforcement that the police forces are able to

provide by conventional means, and the ability of the courts to remove the minority of gross speeders' from our roads via a penalty-points system would lead to a dramatic improvement in road safety.

4. T h e GreenLanesystemhasmade a significant contribution to our tourism industry'smarketing efforts over the past decade,as well asimproving the quality of life for local people whohappen to live on or use the Green Lane network. However, the enforcementofthe15m.p.h.limit is more honoured in the breach

than the observance, nor can the network be properly termed such until it encompasses all of the Parishes.

G i v e n that Jersey lags behind many other places in its provision of traffic-free paths for walkers and

cyclists, it is important that the Green Lane network is properly enforced and extended, and there is general agreement that the first step towards this is to undertake a review of the operation of the existing system. It is to be hoped that this may lead to changes in the network that might make it possible for the Parishes which have to date resisted the introduction of Green Lanes to accept them.

Financial and Manpower statement

There are no financial or manpower consequences to these amendments.