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WQ.417/2020
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE BY THE CONNÉTABLE OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 2nd NOVEMBER 2020
Question
Will the Minister set out the timetable for the development, publication, consultation and implementation of the following transport strategies –
- Island-wide and Town networks for walking and cycling;
- road safety;
- bus services, including a Town hoppa' service;
- parking, including provision for disabled drivers;
- taxis and cabs;
- licensing of new modes of transport such as electric scooters; and
- M.O.T. testing that includes testing and certifying vehicles for low emissions?
Answer
In agreeing the STP in March 2020, the Assembly agreed both the framework and the strong start delivery programme which sets out the strategy work that will be undertaken to develop action plans to deliver the STP vision by 2030. The strategic work will develop integrated action plans for active travel, bus service development, parking and explore the opportunities for using digital technology for enabling a mobility as a service approach to our transport network.
It is important to remember that at the beginning of March there was the necessary redeployment of policy and IHE operations staff to emergency COVID-19 response work. Some of the team remain on COVID-19 work, although the majority have now returned. IHE resources were not available to be accessed until after the identification and agreement of the recovery plan in August 2020.
This has had an inevitable but unavoidable impact on commencement of the rapid analysis work to develop the strategies. Commencing the rapid analysis as identified in the STP has been delayed by at least 6 months with further cumulative impacts. Work re-commenced in August 2020 and a new schedule of consultation is being finalised to commence in November 2020. The original timeline for delivery of the action plans was spring 2021, the 6 month delay has pushed this to Autumn 2021 in line with the agreed revised timeline for the development of the long term climate action plan, which has also been delayed due to the impacts as identified above.
The Road Safety Action Plan was developed and consulted upon 2015/2016, lodged and published in 2017, and implementation is ongoing. Improving road safety is a fundamental consideration that underlines all transport initiatives described above.
Taxi-Cab Regulatory Reform Green Paper consultation was lodged in 2012, White Paper was lodged in 2015, implementation of regulatory reforms commenced in 2017 and scheduled for completion in March 2021. Further considerations as to how taxi-cabs can contribute to mobility as a service (MaaS) will again be considered as part of the studies described above.
PTIs or Periodic Technical Inspections were introduced in April 2018 for Commercial vehicles over 7.5tonnes and were extended to Commercial vehicles over 3.5 tonnes from April 2019. In order to satisfy Vienna Convention requirements, vehicle inspections were further extended to mopeds, light bikes and minibuses from 1st April 2019.
An "Options Appraisal" is currently being undertaken by a local consultancy company to determine the most appropriate way for the Island to inspect passenger carrying vehicles (MOT type). The Appraisal is expected to be completed around the end of January 2021, after which a date to commence inspections will be established. Current expectations are 2023/2024.