What is progress of a scheme to create a pedestrian crossing at Longueville

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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT AND TECHNICAL SERVICES BY DEPUTY C.J. SCOTT WARREN OF ST. SAVIOUR

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 11th MARCH 2008

Question

"At a meeting on 2nd December 2002 the former Public Services Committee approved a scheme for a Longueville Road crossing, with £20,000 being allocated for this project from the £100,000 funding made available from the Car Park Trading Account for sustainable transport initiatives, to accelerate the Committee's programme of pedestrian improvements.

Would the Minister provide members with full information regarding the following:-

( i)  Why, in view of the subsequent work carried out which included financial negotiations with a third party

in order to secure some additional land for road widening prior to the construction of the proposed island refuge at Miladi Parade, Longueville Road, and having gained approval for funds from Treasury and Resources and submitted a planning application in 2006, the negotiations were not concluded and the construction work on the island refuge did not proceed?

( ii ) W h e ther the formerly identified funds from the Car Park Trading Account are currently available for

this project, and, if not, can the Minister give members the reason why and the current whereabouts of these funds?

( ii i) W h e ther the Minister still supports the implementation of an island refuge at this location?"

Answer

1. The construction of a central refuge in this location did not proceed because the required land could not bepurchased.The Minister forTreasuryandResourcesisresponsible for the departmentwhose responsibility this wasand should respondto this question.
2. The 2005 States Accounts identifies that £75,000of the £100,000budget had been expended leaving sufficient to progress this project. Thesefunds were able to be spent on non-carparking initiatives under the previous Public Finance Law which allowed the Finance and EconomicsCommitteeto agree specific projects.

Furthermore, the States approved a Report and Proposition in 2004 (P147/2004) which allowed surplus funds from the Car Park Trading Fund to be utilised for the funding of transport initiatives. In particular, the States wanted to ensure that, if car parking charges were raised above the level required to run, maintain and provide for parking facilities, that this income could be used on, for instance, the bus service, highway maintenance or other transport initiatives.

However, the new Public Finance (Jersey) Law 2005 and relevant regulations issued thereunder currently prevent the Minister for Transport and Technical Services, or any other Minister, from allocating funds from Jersey Car Parks Trading Fund for anything other than car parking provision. For this reason, the £20,000 originally allocated is now not available for this project. Having recognised this fact, TTS allocated the sum in its revenue budget in 2007 so the project could proceed if the land transaction was finalised. As this did not happen, these funds were spent on other projects and there is now no funding for any minor traffic works.

3. The Minister continuesto support theimplementationofan island refuge at this location. However, should the land now become available, thereisno revenue funding available in the 2008budget.