17 November 2009
Connétable Mike Jackson, the Minister for Transport and Technical Services (TTS) will be hosting a public meeting to discuss the Sustainable Transport Policy on Wednesday 18 November at 7pm at the Town Hall in St Helier. Residents from all parishes are invited to attend this public consultation event.
TTS is in the process of developing a Sustainable Transport Policy for Jersey and, at this initial consultation stage, is trying to find out what the public think about making greener travel options and other related transport issues. A document has been produced outlining their objectives and options for the future and there is a questionnaire for public feedback.
This public meeting, however, will give members of the public an opportunity to hear directly from the Transport Minister and his officers why action needs to be taken and the sort of things Jersey could do. The audience will also be given the opportunity to voice their comments or ask questions.
Adrian Roper from Sustrans, the leading UK sustainable transport charity, will also be taking part in the presentation and will be available to answer questions. He is very knowledgeable on the subject of sustainable transport and will talk about good practice in the UK and Europe.
“I am really keen to meet with as many people as possible from all over the Island on Wednesday night” said Connétable Mike Jackson, Minister for TTS. “Transport affects all of us, whether you’re a driver, a cyclist or a pedestrian. It is important that we hear from all viewpoints.”
In the consultation document, TTS suggests that reducing traffic levels by at least 15% will be a realistic and significant target to aim for. The impact of a 15% reduction can be clearly seen as this is approximately what traffic levels look like during school holidays.
The call for a reduction in car use is not just happening in Jersey, but is happening across the world. The reasons are mostly the same: reducing congestion and pollution and increasing physical activity to achieve health benefits.
The Sustainable Transport Policy consultation document and accompanying questionnaire is available at the Customer Services Centre in Cyril Le Marquand House, parish halls and can be found on the www.gov.je website.
The closing date for the consultation is 30 November 2009.
gov.je