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click here to download a report on the difficulty of crossing the road at LeVrangue/Ramee
click here to download a report following concerns about crossing the road at Salarie Corner
click here to download a report on the safety of the "Woolies/Albion" crossing done in 2011
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| The suggested position for the zebra crossing |
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| Pavement surfing |
Pedestrian safety at Hougue a la Perre, Le Grand
Bouet (December 2011)
Hougue a la Perre is a new housing development of 77 properties just
off the coast road in Le Grand Bouet. We were asked to look at the problems that residents face trying to cross the
busy Grand Bouet.
There is no pavement on the housing development side of the road so there is no choice
but to cross the road to the pavement on the other side. Site lines are good owing to the wide entrance to the development.
The first safety issue is the speed of vehicles approaching from Les Banques around a blind corner
which makes crossing the road quite hazardous especially if you have walking difficulties or are in a wheelchair.
The second issue is the lack of lighting at night. Although there are two street lamps nearby, neither of
them illuminate the entrance to the development.
We also looked at the difficulty of crossing Les Banques in order
to reach the nearest bus stop for residents wishing to go into Town. To cross the road you have to stand at the Red Lion
pub which is very close to the mini roundabout. Cars coming round the corner from Le Grand Bouet, therefore, are
very close and are concentrating on looking to their right for their turn at the roundabout. There is a danger they
come round the corner without even looking out for a pedestrian on their left trying to cross the road. The central
reservation does, at least give some comfort when you manage to reach it.
Living Streets has sent a report to the
Environment Department asking for a zebra crossing for pedestrians at the Hougue a la Perre entrance. We have suggested
where the crossing should be - so that it is as far away from Les Banques coast road as possible. We have also asked
for the crossing to be lit.
We await a response from the Environment Department. We have also asked the Police
to look at the area with regard to the pavement "surfing" issue.
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| Pedestrians have to wait in the middle of the road for cars to stop |
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| There is a large footfall in the area |
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| No pedestrian refuge |
Survey of the unofficial crossing at the Quay (October
2011)
Over the years we have received many complaints about the safety of the unofficial
crossing at the Quay (known as the Woolies crossing). Following yet another complaint recently Living Streets decided
to do a survey by talking to pedestrians using the crossing.
The survey was undertaken on
four separate days and at different times of the morning. We asked just five questions to keep it simple:
Did
you feel safe?
If no, what would make it safer?
Why did you cross here rather than using the light controlled crossings?
Do you use the crossing after dark?
Have you ever seen any near misses?
We surveyed 98 people (95 visitors
and 3 tourists) and 19 children accompanied their parents
In answer to the first question: Did you feel safe?
37% said YES; 40% said NO; the rest gave qualified answers like: not too bad, not always, not with child and buggy,
not really, sometimes, not completely, reasonably, relatively, mostly/usually, got used to it, depends on the traffic, if
you're careful, if able bodied, as long as people stop.
It became quite clear to us that the most
vulnerable pedestrians were parents with children. They were quite vocal in their comments and many highlighted
the two lanes on the marina side of the road as being particularly dangerous. The other main danger was the lack of
waiting space in the middle of the road, particularly for parents with buggies.
Living Streets has put forward
four recommendations which they hope the Environment Department will consider:
Move the crossing further away from
the filter - perhaps past Quay Street
Install pedestrian lights synchronised with the ones across Fountain Street
Turn the seaward side into one lane
Build a central reservation with enough space for pedestrians (particularly with
buggies) to wait
We await a response from the Environment Department.
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| Walking audit of Pont Vaillant Lane |
click here to download the full survey report
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| Walking audit of Les Petites Fontaines |
Walking audits
Living
Streets is contacted on a regular basis by members of the public who have concerns about pedestrian safety issues in their
neighbourhood. We meet and undertake a "walking audit" of the area and then send a report to the Environment
Department with recommendations on how safety might be improved. Many of these audits are around schools where parents
wishing to walk their children to school are intimidated by the volume of traffic and the lack of suitable places to cross
the road.
If you would like us to help you solve a pedestrian safety problem in your area, please get in contact
with Pat Wisher on 268088.
A survey of Guernsey's zebra crossings
Following
a tragic fatality on the Victoria Avenue zebra crossing in 2002, Living Streets (formerly STEPS) decided to survey every zebra
crossing in the island with a view to commenting on their safety. The survey was undertaken in February/March 2003 when
each crossing was checked under the following headings:
Advance warning signage
Night time safety - lighting
and visibility in wet weather
Positioning
Safe waiting area
Signage at the crossing
Zig Zag lines
Condition
of the crossing - white paint and studs
The report consists of a page for every crossing which comprises photographs
and comments by STEPS members (39 pages); a table summarising the findings; general observations; recommendations; conclusions;
extracts from the Statutory Instrument "Road Traffic - Zebra, Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulation
and General Directions 1997" (Department for Transport)
We made 7 recommendations to the Traffic Committee.
The Committee accepted our report and agreed that there were safety issues which needed addressing.
The 49 page
report is too large to download, but if you would like a copy, please contact Pat Wisher on 268088.
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