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STATES OF JERSEY
SPEED LIMITS: REVISED POLICY (P.167/2010) – AMENDMENT (P.167/2010 Amd.) – COMMENTS
Presented to the States on 4th April 2011
by the Minister for Transport and Technical Services
STATES GREFFE
2010 Price code: A P.167 Amd.Com.
COMMENTS
The Minister for Economic Development has proposed an amendment which will retain the current 15 mph speed limit on Green Lanes, rather than increase it to 20 as I propose on the recommendations of the review group.
The Minister alleges that it would result in the loss of the Green Lane system and impact adversely on the cycle network, both of which are a valuable asset to Jersey's tourism offer. I would agree that both are valuable, and being responsible for the Sustainable Transport Policy, would not wish to bring a proposal to the House which had a detrimental effect on them.
In recommending that the limit on our Green Lane system should be increased from 15 to 20 mph the review group were mindful that the Chefs de Police, who have responsibility for policing the lanes, consider 20 mph to be more appropriate, and more enforceable. Increasing the limit to 20 mph will also have the advantage of simplifying the number of differing speed limits we have in our Island.
TTS statistics show that the level of compliance with the 15 mph speed limit is extremely poor, with the majority of motorists exceeding the limit and 85th percentile speeds being typically between 25 and 30 mph. The great majority of otherwise law abiding citizens when driving along those roads are therefore law breakers and the pedestrians using them are being given a false sense of security. The honorary police would favour a 20 mph limit which they can enforce rather than a 15 mph limit which if enforced would result in fines for the majority of motorists, most of which are local residents.
Senator Maclean argues that the very low 15 mph limit causes motorists to avoid using Green Lanes altogether and this benefit will be lost if the limit is increased to 20. This argument is only reasonable where there is an alternative route to take. There is an extensive network of Green Lanes across the island and several of the designated roads by necessity are well used by motor vehicles to gain access to properties, because there is no alternative.
The cycle network uses a combination of Green Lanes, by-roads, main roads and cycle tracks, and it is not accepted that increasing the speed limit on Green Lanes from 15 to 20 mph, would render the cycle route system unsafe. 20 mph is still a low limit, and it should be noted that the proposed policy will result in the speed limit on many of the cycle route roads being reduced from 40 to 30 mph through the introduction of the default 30 mph limit on roads without a white line.
I agree with Senator Maclean that Green Lanes are something to be proud of and I believe that in the fullness of time the system should be reviewed to see how it can be developed and improved. The original concept was that pedestrians should be given priority and the 15 mph speed limit was used as an expedient in the absence of more comprehensive legislation. I would suggest that better legislation, giving pedestrians priority, should be considered and also believe that the method and style of signage requires review and investment. In the meantime I believe it right to respect the view of the honorary police and alter the limit to 20 mph as they suggest and the majority of the public favour. I will therefore oppose the amendment, but in so doing commit to working with Economic Development and the Parish Authorities to develop legislation to enable the establishment of pedestrian priority on our Green Lanes.
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P.167/2010 Amd.Com.