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2025.02.25
3.1 Connétable K. Shenton-Stone of St. Martin of the Minister for Infrastructure regarding the Hierarchy of Road Safety (OQ.38/2025):
Following the publication of the Collision and Casualty Reduction Plan 2025 - 2034, will the Minister outline what plans exist, if any, to educate the public on the hierarchy of road safety and will he advise when a road safety officer will be appointed?
Connétable A.N. Jehan of St. John (The Minister for Infrastructure):
I thank the Deputy not only for her question - the Constable, I beg your pardon. I should know that - the Constable not only for her question, but also should acknowledge the work that she did in order for this Collision and Casualty Reduction Plan to get off the ground. My thanks to her. The Collision and Casualty Reduction Plan is built on the safe systems approach with 6 priorities. Priority 5 of that is around safe people, which is about promoting responsible behaviours through education, enforcement, and shared responsibility. We are in the process of recruiting a technical support officer, which will be similar to a road safety officer, but will do a variety of tasks. We are launching a website in April, we are using social media and we will be using events as part of our education plan.
- The Connétable of St. Martin :
Will the technical support officer be going into schools, as a road safety officer used to, and what will the role be?
The Connétable of St. John :
The technical support officer will be going to schools. We are also working with C.Y.P.E.S. (Children, Young People, Education and Skills) to see what else we can do, but we will also be targeting other groups throughout the community, and not just youngsters. We need to work with all of our community about the importance of road safety. I was at a talk yesterday, and the subject of dark clothing came up. It is not just youngsters that wear dark clothing when they are out on the road. There are many people of all different ages. We have a lot of work to do here, and the role and the team will be working very hard.
- Deputy M. Tadier of St. Brelade :
One of the factors that may contribute to pedestrian safety is when fields encroach on to pavements so there are areas ... I have raised this with the Minister before. What steps will the Minister be taking to determine who is responsible for such encroachments whereby pavements are often so narrow that barely an individual can walk along safely let alone a pushchair or a wheelchair.
The Connétable of St. John :
I thank the Deputy for his question. We have corresponded in the past. I am aware of a number of pavements not only in St. John but around the Island where the hedges are encroaching the roads. There is some capacity in the branchage law, but it is quite difficult. We try to encourage landowners in the first instance when it comes to charging that when we do get a problem. But we try to encourage the landowner in the first instance.
- Deputy M. Tadier :
Does the Minister understand that this is not just about hedges, it is about when banks are spilling over on to pavements, taking up often half of the pavement, and it is a case of putting that back and establishing who the owner is? Is that something that is on the Minister's radar?
The Connétable of St. John :
It is but not under the road safety area, but it is a matter that is on our radar. It is not just pavements, it is also on roads and byroads. It is becoming more and more of an issue. Traditionally the bannelais (road sweepings) used to be collected, but clearly that does not happen now, and so we have to work with landowners.
- Deputy J. Renouf of St. Brelade :
I wonder if the Minister has any sort of vision for what he is hoping to achieve in terms of road safety. For example, a goal of reducing deaths to zero over a certain period of time.
The Connétable of St. John :
Yes, that is part of the plan, and if people do get a chance to read the plan they will see the aim there is to reduce the amount of injuries and deaths in collisions in the next 10 years, but clearly we would love to get to zero collisions and zero serious incidents. But it is included in the plan; the targets.
[9:45]
- The Connétable of St. Martin :
I am hoping that the education will go out to all Islanders and will the Connétable confirm that the education will extend to the life-changing and sometimes fatal effects of drink driving?
The Connétable of St. John :
Yes, the report talks about the cost of fatal collisions and serious collisions, but really it is the human cost, which is immeasurable, and we all need to play our part. Not only with drink driving but drug driving is becoming more of an issue, and the team are working on legislation to introduce levels and also roadside testing for drugs.