Thursday 28 August 2014
The Environment Department is advising of imminent changes to traffic management measures in the vicinity of the Vale Schools.
These include:
• No Stopping yellow lines in Route des Coutures, Belval Road, Rue de L'Ecole and Hougue Ricart;
• No Waiting areas in Hougue Ricart (time restricted) and La Croix du Bois;
• A painted walkway in La Croix du Bois;
• A time restricted No Right Turn sign opposite the church car park adjoining Belval Road.
The changes being made are in recognition of the difficult traffic management history of the roads surrounding the Schools and take into account the additional pupils who will be attending from the start of the September term which will add to the pressure on the road network.
The Department is seeking to improve traffic flow around school start and finish times and to reduce conflict in single file sections of road. This in turn should improve the road environment for activities such as cycling and walking which the Department is keen to promote as part of its new Transport Strategy.
Other measures designed to improve the traffic situation are the provision of an additional school bus service during the afternoons (there is currently spare capacity on the morning services) and a new pedestrian walkway which is being installed in La Croix du Bois where concerns have been raised due to the mix of walkers, parking and 2-way traffic in a limited road space.
It is also worth noting that the Schools and the Education Department have been proactive in trying to improve the traffic situation around the Schools, by funding the new bus service, expanding the Infants School car park and providing additional cycle shelters.
The Department is writing to the parents, guardians and residents of the area advising them of the revised traffic measures that will be in place and what will be permissible in terms of parking near the School. It will also have staff on site along with the Guernsey Police during the initial stages to assess the effectiveness of the measures that will be in place and to determine whether any other measures are needed.
Environment Minister, Deputy Yvonne Burford said:
"The measures that are being put in place follow observations by our staff who visited the site towards the end of last term, as well as input from interested parties such as the Schools, the Education Department, the PTA and Guernsey Police. The changes are needed in order to improve traffic flow and road safety in general during School times.
The signing changes are only part of the story; the Schools are located in minor roads with limited amounts of off street parking and we would encourage people wherever possible to consider walking, cycling, buses or car sharing. We would also ask drivers to respect the signing measures and not park on footpaths."
-ENDS-
Contact Information:
Phil Ogier, Senior Traffic Services Officer
Environment Department
Tel: 243400
