Questions without notice Transport and Technical Services

5.  Questions to Ministers without Notice - The Minister for Transport and Technical Services

The Bailiff :

Then we come to Questions to Ministers without notice and the first period is to the Minister for Transport and Technical Services.

1. Deputy T.A. Vallois:

Could the Minister explain why there are problems with enforcing the Road Traffic Law, particularly on Wellington Hill, for parking on pavements and whether anything will be done about it?

Deputy K.C. Lewis (The Minister for Transport and Technical Services):

Yes, there is a problem with illegal parking on Wellington Road. I am in consultation at the moment with the States of Jersey Police, Parish Honorary Police, the Constable and, indeed, my colleague to resolve this problem.

5.1.1 Deputy T.A. Vallois:

That consultation has been going on for over 3 years. When is something going to be done about it?

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

Policing of the roads is a policing matter and it is not for T.T.S. (Transport and Technical Services) to police it. The law is quite clear.

2. Deputy S. Power:

I would like to swerve back to the tender subject of scrap. Can I ask the Minister that in any tendering process for the future of processing of scrap metal on the Island, does the Minister and his department and his officers intend to apply fully the E.U. directive on the End-of-Life Vehicle Directive?

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

Yes, indeed.

3. Connétable J. Gallichan of St. Mary :

Schedule 12 of the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Jersey) Order 2003 is entitled "Form of certain plates in respect of inexperienced light motorcycle drivers". Could the Minister advise what the reasoning behind the riders of heavy motorcycles needing to display P plates is when obviously they cannot qualify for this category unless they are experienced for one year as the holder of a full licence for a light motorcycle?

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

Article 27 was introduced in April 1991 by the Road Traffic (No. 40) (Jersey) Regulations 1991 which allows the Minister by order to provide for a distinguishing mark to be displayed on a class of motor vehicle being driven by a person who has held a licence to drive that class of motor vehicle for less than a year. The relevant order makes it a requirement for the new full licence holder or inexperienced riders riding light and heavy motorcycles to display a P plate which came into effect on 5th August 1991. While the relevant Article in the Motor Vehicle (Driving Licences) (Jersey) Order 2003 Article 37 and the wording of Schedule 12 is quite clear, I would agree that the heading for the schedule should not include the word "light". When the order is next amended, I shall ask for "light" and "heavy" to be deleted. I believe the whole purpose of the P plates, along with the graduated licence for riding motorcycles, was an attempt to improve safety for motorcyclists. I would intend that the Road Safety Strategy will review whether P plates are of any merit and whether should there be any other measures that would improve motorcyclists' safety.

5.3.1 The Connétable of St. Mary :

Members will probably have guessed that I have asked the Minister about this before. [Laughter] My contention is that I cannot understand the benefit of asking somebody who has already proven themselves to be an experienced rider by riding for a year what the benefit of asking them to then display another inexperienced rider plate is and I would ask the Minister to think about instead of just changing the wording of the order to remove that requirement from experienced riders. Does the Minister agree that it is pointless to say that somebody could take their test on, say, a 200 or 250 cc motorcycle and then ride that for a year and then at any other time simply just buy a motorcycle 5 or 6 times of that capacity and performance. Will the Minister consider removing that requirement?

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

Yes, at the very end of my long rambling answer, I did say that I would intend the Road Safety Strategy will review whether P plates are of merit and whether any other measures to improve safety for motorcyclists should be introduced so I will review that.

4. Connétable A.S. Crowcroft of St. Helier :

I am grateful to Deputy Baudains of St. Clement who is ill today for his written question 10 to the Minister about the availability of parking in St. Helier and the answer that the Minister has given that over 50 per cent of parking spaces in St. Helier are available at various times during a Saturday makes very interesting reading. Will the Minister investigate the possibility of making this kind of information more available to the public, in particular putting back the screens on the approaches to St. Helier that would tell road users of the availability of parking, and would he further give consideration to incentives that will encourage people to take up those spaces such as a system like first hour free which operates in many town centres or a system that makes parking free from 3.00 p.m. in the afternoons?

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

Absolutely, I welcome the Constable's remarks. I well remember, I think it was in the 1970s and 1980s, we had the display boards up. They were neon operated. I believe that at the time they used Jersey Telecom lines but technology has vastly improved so if we can find the funding, I would be more than happy to have the electronic indicator put back again to indicate where there are free spaces throughout St. Helier and other places.

5. Deputy J.A. Hilton:

Is the Minister aware of any pollution incidents having taken place at the premises of the current scrap yard operator?

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

That will be under review very shortly, whether there is any pollution in the scrap yard or indeed below the concrete slab.

[12:00]

5.5.1 Deputy J.A. Hilton:

So the Minister is saying he is not aware that there have been any pollution incidents but he may be aware at a future date?

Deputy K.C. Lewis : That is correct.

6. The Connétable of St. John :

Would the Minister give details how a member of the public who is disabled maybe for a short period of time with a broken leg or the likes or some other disability can get hold of a radar card - I think they are called - or radar key for disabled toilets because we have many people who are disabled who do not have a badge that they carry with them in their car. Therefore they are not liable to get one of these keys. Could he make sure that they are available and tell the House where they come from so that members of the public can get them for short-term periods, 3 months or whatever it may be?

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

Yes, I thank the Constable for that question. There are quite a few radar toilets now in Jersey. In the town area I believe the keys are kept at local cafeterias, et cetera, and issued to people on request. There is also a local retailer who does sell them to people with disabilities and I will research that and get the name and address to the Constable. I would concede maybe this is a system that needs to be reviewed.

5.6.1 The Connétable of St. John :

Yes, a supplementary on that. The Minister mentioned sells the radar cards or keys to the public by a retailer. Surely this type of thing should be available at no cost to people, given that if you are able bodied you are entitled to use the public conveniences at no cost and, therefore, that should be available to disabled in the same way. Would he answer that, please?

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

I am not sure of the cost but I believe it is just a small admin fee for the key but, as I say, I am more than happy to review that.

7. Deputy J.H. Young:

Will the Minister advise the Assembly whether on major public events, such as the Jubilee festivities at West Park, his department is able to ensure that the servicing and cleaning of public toilet facilities, such as at West Park, is maintained to the required standard at all times?

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

Yes, all the public conveniences that come under T.T.S. do have daily cleaning, sometimes 2 or 3 times daily, depending where they are. It is sometimes quite difficult during a major event to keep them up to top speck but I know our people do their very best.

8. The Connétable of St. Martin :

Will the Minister advise the Assembly whether the waste disposal complex at La Collette is now operating correctly and efficiently or is the department still working with the contractor who built the facility to correct faults in the building and the tipping facilities and, in particular, the access roads?

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

The access road is fully up to speck and complete. They do have engineers still on site but I think everything else is more or less up together. The official handover has happened, we have had it in our possession for some time but tests are still ongoing.

9. The Deputy of Grouville :

Does the Minister think it is acceptable that his department turned down the offer of visiting regiments' offer as part of their community-based summer work to lay certain phases of the eastern cycle network, which I was told was ideal work for them, because they prefer to do it in- house?

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

I was not aware that it had been turned down. I welcome the visiting territorial units' input and engineers' input into the infrastructure; as long as there is no sort of crossover and that it is not putting someone else out of work. It is not a problem whatsoever.

10. Senator L.J. Farnham :

After the previous opportunity to question the Minister in the Assembly I asked if he knew how many beach-cleaning machines the department owned and how many were in service. He undertook to let me have that information, to date he has not. I just wondered if he had found out that information and if he has not could he please let me have it.

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

I believe we have 2 machines which are for beach cleaning, which is, at the moment, temporarily suspended. We are in talks with colleagues at the Department of the Environment to get beach cleaning recommenced as soon as possible.

5.10.1  Senator L.J. Farnham :

Sir, may I ask a supplementary? May I ask why beach-cleaning services are currently suspended?

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

From the direction of the Department of the Environment.

Senator L.J. Farnham :

I am sorry, Sir. I wonder if the Minister could elucidate on that answer, there must be a reason. Deputy K.C. Lewis :

At present seaweed is cleaned from the high watermark and it is deposited at the low watermark to be carried away by the sea from whence it came but the Department of the Environment think this is not eco-friendly and are researching other methods of disposing of it. As we speak, my officers are in consultation with the Department to find a solution.

11. Deputy S. Power:

In the context of the Constable of St. Mary 's question, would the Minister not agree with me that some of the motor traffic regulations that are being administered by D.V.S. (Driver and Vehicle Standards) are simply out of date? I refer to: "Type approval of new vehicles from the U.K., motorcycle licensing and testing, the licensing of Segway-type vehicles and indeed some quad bikes with differentials." Would he not agree that these regulations need to be seriously and urgently overhauled?

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

The regulations are being overhauled. It is a very slow process. Vehicles like the Segway, in fact, I do not believe they are even legal in the U.K. Obviously quad bikes have been mentioned quite a few times but obviously with a slip differential, so that these vehicles could be used on the road. It is something that is under review at the moment as part of the tractor survey.

12. Deputy J.P.G. Baker of St. Helier :

Could the Minister advise Members what qualitative checks are carried out on companies that seek vehicle ownership details that are based outside of Jersey and I do not mean law enforcement organisations, I mean private companies and private individuals?

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

I think where the Deputy is coming from is nobody may have access to someone's private details unless they have reasonable cause to do so. There is a list, I believe, of U.K. companies that are bonded and would be listed as trusted companies, so that if somebody parks on a double yellow line in the U.K. and an agency asks for the details of a Jersey-registered vehicle that would be deemed as reasonable cause and they would be given those details.

Deputy J.P.G. Baker:

The question was what checks are made on these companies, rather than there is a list? Deputy K.C. Lewis :

I am not sure what the checks are, I just know that they are approved companies. I will find that out and then get back to the Deputy .

13. Deputy S.G. Luce of St. Martin :

I am sure Members will have been surprised to hear the Minister's answer concerning seaweed on the beaches. Can I just ask him, given that we are about to enter the height of the tourist season and the seaweed must be building up on our beaches if it is not being cleared, to try to solve this problem and to get on and solve it?

Deputy K.C. Lewis :

I could not agree more. As I said previously, my officers are speaking with the Environment officers as we speak.