07 October 2015
Changes to make the centre of town safer and more accessible for shoppers are being put in place as part of plans for the future of St Helier.
The regeneration of St Helier is one of the Council of Ministers’ priorities. A consultation in May asked people for their views on the regeneration of town.
The consultation was led by a group of States Members responsible for delivering town regeneration. They wanted to find out what issues concerned people, and to look at what changes they wanted in St Helier in three areas: urban living and environment; identity and community; and travel and transport. Traffic management was among the issues raised.
Pedestrian crossings
In response, the Connétable of St Helier, and the Ministers for Housing, Transport and Technical Services (TTS), Education, and Planning and Environment have agreed to take immediate steps to improve three areas of the centre of town by installing pedestrian crossings, and to carry out a more comprehensive review of traffic management in St Helier.
The Parish of St Helier and TTS will work on plans for new crossings at:
- Seaton Place at the junction with Sand Street
- Bath Street at the junction with Wests Centre
- Dumaresq Street at the junction with York Street
TTS will also assess the potential for giving greater pedestrian priority in and around Broad Street and Conway Street. This may result in some traffic management trials over the coming months.
An extensive review of the traffic management for the whole of St Helier will be also carried out, reporting early next year. This will look at the impact and benefits of a variety of travel and transport proposals before they are consulted on.
Reclaiming streets
The Connétable of St Helier, Simon Crowcroft, said “I am delighted at the prospect of making some immediate changes and delivering improvements on the ground. Reclaiming streets and giving greater priority for pedestrians in the heart of the town, while retaining essential access for buses, taxis, delivery vehicles and disabled drivers, is something that is gaining more support and critical to the success of St Helier.”
The Minister for Planning and Environment, Deputy Steve Luce, said “People who took part in the Future St Helier consultation over the summer months told us what they wanted to see change. We are acting on this as quickly as we can whilst at the same time exploring what other improvements might follow.”
The Transport and Technical Services Minister, Deputy Eddie Noel, said “We have a real opportunity to make changes happen by working together and pooling our resources. We have reviewed what we can do and prioritised those changes that we can implement straight away. This will see change happen over the next few months, delivering real improvement for St Helier.”
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