Jersey Highway Code

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A decision was made (27th June 2008) regarding the Jersey Highway Code

Decision Reference: MD-T-2008-0058
Decision Summary Title :	Jersey Highway Code		Date of Decision Summary:	26 June 2008
Decision Summary Author:	James Sinclair Deputy Inspector of Motor Traffic		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:
Written Report Title :	Jersey Highway Code		Date of Written Report:	26 June 2008
Written Report Author:	James Sinclair Deputy Inspector of Motor Traffic		Written Report : Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Subject: The Jersey Highway Code
Decision(s): The Minister agreed to designate the UK Highway Code accompanied by a leaflet stating the Jersey rules as the Jersey Highway Code.
Reason(s) for Decision: With the loss of the DVS Law Review Officer’s post in the 2000 spending review, DVS no longer has the staff resources to carry out a full revision of the substantive Jersey Highway Code. Coupled with the one-off saving in printing costs of £10,000 and removing storage and distribution problems, it makes sense to revert to the pre 1995 arrangements
Resource Implications: A one-off saving of £10,000 together with staff time when revisions are required will be saved
Action required: DVS to produce, for the Minister’s approval, a leaflet setting out the local Jersey highway rules.
Signature:		Position: Minister
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Jersey Highway Code

TRANSPORT & TECHNICAL SERVICES

JERSEY HIGHWAY CODE

Purpose of the Report

To seek the approval, in principle, of the Minister for Transport and Technical Services to designate the UK Highway Code as Jersey’s Highway Code, accompanied by a locally produced leaflet setting out Jersey’s differing rules.

Background

Article 85 of the Road Traffic (Jersey) Law 1956 sanctions a Jersey Highway Code. Up until 1995, the Jersey Highway Code was the UK Highway Code along with a locally produced leaflet setting out Jersey’s differing rules.

In 1995, the then Home Affairs Committee agreed to print a substantive version of the Jersey Highway Code. In effect, this was the substantial UK Highway Code book with a Jersey cover and the differing Jersey rules inserted in place of the UK rules.

There have been two editions of this substantive Jersey Highway Code because every time the UK changes its Highway Code, the Jersey Highway Code needs to be revisited and the necessary alterations made.

This is both time consuming and costly.

Discussion

In 2007, the UK again made significant changes to its Highway Code. To maintain the standard of the driving test, the Jersey Highway Code should be amended.

DVS feels that, as the vast majority of the UK’s rules are the same as Jersey’s, this is a time consuming exercise. It is also costly to produce a separate substantive Jersey code – approximately £10,000 – money which the department does not budget for.

The storage and distribution arrangements are cumbersome also. DVS stores the 100 boxes and the parishes collect them as they need them.

It is proposed that, due to the resource implications, cost, storage and distribution problems involved in producing a separate, substantive Jersey Highway Code, the pre- 1995 arrangement is reverted to whereby the Jersey Highway Code is the UK Highway Code as accompanied by the locally produced Jersey leaflet setting out the Jersey rules.

This leaflet could be posted out along with Jersey provisional licences. The leaflet will state the Jersey Highway Code is the UK Highway Code – available from local bookshops – plus the amended Jersey leaflet.

All Jersey themed questions in the Jersey driver theory test will be in the Jersey leaflet.

Recommendation

That the Minister for Transport and Technical Services agrees to revert to the pre-1995 position of the Jersey Highway Code being the UK Highway Code plus a locally produced leaflet showing Jersey’s local rules.

Reasons for Decision

With the loss of the DVS Law Review Officer’s post in the 2000 spending review, DVS no longer has the staff resources to carry out a full revision of the substantive Jersey Highway Code. Coupled with the one-off saving in printing costs of £10,000 and removing storage and distribution problems, it makes sense to revert to the pre-1995 arrangements.

Resource Implications

A one-off saving of £10,000 together with staff time when revisions are required will be saved.

Action Required

If the Minister agrees with the recommendation, the Deputy Inspector of Motor Traffic to produce a leaflet, suitable for posting with Jersey provisional driving licences, showing the Jersey rules for the Highway Code.

Written by: James B Sinclair

Deputy Inspector of Motor Traffic

Approved by: Caroline Anderson

Director of Transport