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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT AND TECHNICAL SERVICES BY THE CONNÉTABLE OF ST. MARY
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 18th JULY 2011
Question
In the light of concerns over the safety of the "refuge" in the central reservation of Victoria Avenue for vehicles leaving the "kiosk" lay-by at Bel Royal and travelling towards St Helier, will the Minister confirm that he has visited the area to ascertain whether the depth of the refuge is adequate, and advise the length of vehicle which can be sheltered entirely within the refuge (without protruding into the traffic lanes) bearing in mind the angle at which vehicles are likely to enter the refuge due to the road layout. Is the Minister satisfied that this is adequate?
Answer
I can confirm that I have visited the area and I acknowledge that the layout is not ideal. Given the limited space available for the junction, the current arrangement is the best that can be achieved and a significant improvement on the layout prior to summer 2008.
A vehicle of 2.1m of length can be accommodated entirely with in the solid kerbed island. However, this effectively means very few vehicles can position themselves wholly within the kerbed islands.
You will recall that prior to the remodelling of this junction, what is presently the car park exit onto Victoria Avenue also used to be the entry from the Avenue to the car park for motorists from the west. The current arrangement has therefore removed a conflict from this junction. East bound vehicles entering the car park now have a dedicated right turn lane, protected by solid kerbing, and a narrower approach lane, reducing the opportunity for inappropriate overtaking by town bound drivers.
Good driving practice dictates that drivers should position their vehicle at right angles to a stop or give way line to afford maximum visibility to left or right of approaching vehicles. (This is especially important for vehicles with restricted visibility such as vans and lorries) The current layout of the exit from this car park means that all drivers are obliged to follow this best practice.
Visibility for motorists coming from St Helier is excellent. Drivers approaching the junction from this direction at the posted speed limit of 30mph, have sufficient time to assess whether there is enough space left by a waiting east bound vehicle, to be able to continue, or whether they need to stop.
Road traffic collision data collected by the States of Jersey Police and analysed by my Department has thus far indicated that the scheme has successfully reduced road traffic collisions at this location.
I am satisfied that the arrangement is an improvement over the previous layout, and is the best that can be achieved given the overall space constraints and many manoeuvres at this location. My Department will continue to monitor the junction to ensure that this remains the case.