Tuesday 28 July 2015
The Board of the Environment Department has today considered the request of the Chief Minister's Town Seafront Working Group to revert, at least on a temporary basis, back to two lanes of traffic heading South along the Quay.
The Board has agreed to this request.
The Department has always made clear that this was an experiment and that there was no overriding commitment to retain a single lane. However, we cannot ignore current traffic engineering standards, designed to achieve safe crossings, or safety reports received from respected traffic engineering advisors, which state that the previous informal crossing cannot continue to exist alongside two lanes of Southbound traffic. This situation is further compounded by the very high footfall resulting from cruise ships. Although the Working Party decided that the crossing would be manned on cruise days, this is only for ships over a certain capacity.
Therefore, in agreeing to reinstate two lanes we must consider what can be done about the informal crossing. The Department will seek further specific advice and guidance but based on current information the only apparent options at present are to formalise the crossing by way of traffic signals or close the crossing completely. As converting the crossing to one controlled by signals would take some time and necessitate further road closures, then unless another acceptable and safe solution can be found which accords with design safety standards we will very reluctantly have no option but to close the crossing for the time being.
We are aware that some people feel that the crossing worked previously and hence could reinstalled as it was. However, living with something that is defective whilst dealing with other priorities might be defensible, but actively reinstalling something that is known to be unsafe, due to the risk of a vehicle in one lane of traffic not seeing a pedestrian, cannot be defended.
Reinstating two lanes will also mean that the pinch point that existed at the slipway to the Victoria Marina and which was alleviated by widening the pavement in order to facilitate Public Services' recent move of the cruise ship landing point will be reintroduced as the pavement is narrowed again. This is an area where cruise ship passengers and others currently congregate to cross the road and it would present a major concern if the crossing was to continue to be used, but with a closure of the informal crossing this pinch point will only impact on those seeking to walk along the Quay towards the Crown Pier crossing.
Calls to remove the flower boxes, passenger welcoming facilities, and other arrangements at the Albert Pier are matters for the Public Services Department.
Contact Information:
Steve Smith, Chief Officer
Environment Department
Tel: 01481 717200
