St Aubin's cycle track (FOI)

Request

I refer to a previous Freedom of Information response published on the Gov.je website at the following link:

Repairs to St Aubin cycle path (FOI)

I am interested in particular with the area of they cycle path in the area of First Tower and would like further details regarding the following four statements made in the response shown above.

First statement:

“the department of infrastructure (the ‘department’) instructed the JEC to carry out remedial works along the cycle lane to make the pavement fit for use”.

I see no evidence of this.

A

I would like copies of the communications with the JEC and details of the subsequent works carried out.

Second statement:

“The condition of the cycle lane prior to the JEC’s works was less than optimal with significant reflective cracking from the underlying concrete slab joints”

I have heard this said before, I find it hard to believe that after ten years raising the issue of a poor surface to no avail that improvements to the track were a driving factor, my memory of this section of cycle track was that it was fine, the slab replacement was a larger project not driven by improvements to the cycle track.

B

I would therefore like to receive a copy of the terms of reference for the slab replacement which was a completely separate project to the JEC cable laying.

Third Statement:

"The cycle lane on St Aubin’s Bay Promenade, which to this day remains fit for purpose".

However there are hundreds of metres of the track that remain in the poor condition left by the JEC especially around first Tower and which are deteriorating further.

I have a quote from Jeremy Willis their Project manager “Jersey Electricity had agreed at that time a significant financial settlement with Transport and Technical Services (TTS) for them to undertake the remedial works to the cycle track. We all agreed that some areas of the reinstatement of the cable trench along the cycle track were unsatisfactory and TTS took on the responsibility for this as part of their overall improvement works along Victoria Avenue, towards which Jersey Electricity made a fair contribution.

C

This statement is at odds with your claim and overall FOI response, could you please explain why?

D

I would like to know on what basis your statement that the track is fit for purpose is made, not on the track as a whole but on those parts ruined by the JEC?

E

What inspections have been made, when and by who? If inspections have been made I would like a copy of the inspection reports.

F

Who is actually responsible the cycle tack as many emails to this department just return empty ‘mindful’ responses with no action.

Fourth statement:

“We remain committed to improving cycling infrastructure in the future.”

This and the new law are irrelevant to the issue of existing low standards of care and workmanship.

G

Could you please state your position on maintenance. Will you now visit the cycle track after it rains to asses its poor state?

Response

A

The Transport and Technical Services Department (‘TTS’) now Growth Housing Environment (‘GHE’), carried out a number of inspections during the first six months of 2008 which identified reinstatement defects which were to be rectified by the JEC.

Please find attached copies of correspondence relating to the JEC and the remedial work requested by TTS and carried out by Vannie Limited, JEC’s contractor. The department have also provided a spreadsheet which shows TTS’s inspection defect record by meter chainage.

Correspondence - redacted

The remedial works were carried out by Vannie Ltd. under TTS’s supervision based on the snagging list to ensure the pavement was brought back to a serviceable position. There are no records held which detail the specific outcome.

B
Some sections of the promenade are constructed of large concrete slabs laid behind the granite/concrete sea wall. These slabs provided a hard surface for walkers etc. and protect the back shore from wave overtopping. Some sections of the cycle track were created by overlaying sections of these slabs with asphalt.

Prior to the JEC cabling works, ongoing maintenance of the slabs and cycle track was required due to the movement of the slabs and the reflective cracking this caused.

The new JEC cable was laid in the landscaped areas behind these slabs where possible otherwise the JEC cable trench cut through the exiting slab/cycle track and the car park areas behind.

As part of ongoing cycle track/promenade maintenance the department’s direct labour team carried out a project from September 2009 to mid-Summer 2010 to replace the original concrete slabs with a dedicated widened asphalt cycle track and a new concrete apron from First Tower to Rue De Galet.

The JEC contributed £20,000 towards these works due to the inadequate reinstatement of the cycle track following the laying of the cable in 2008. (See response to ‘question 1’).

A separate piece of work was also carried out to widen the cycle track immediately East of the Burger kiosk for 100m sometime between 2011 and 2014.

All these works were part of the department’s ongoing maintenance programme and, as such, no specific terms of reference exist.

C
See responses to questions 1 and 2.

The £20,000 payment from JEC referred to in these responses relate to the remedial works as part of the 2008 cable laying project.

These funds are separate from a further sum of £100,000 agreed, as general compensation, as part of the approval of a subsequent phase of JEC’s project in 2011 as detailed in the previous FOI request located at the following link.

Repairs to St Aubin cycle path (FOI)

D

The department’s highway inspectors carry out regular inspections of the whole of its highway network of which the promenade is a part. Any identified remedial works are added to maintenance schedules for repair. Based on this process the department considers the track fit for purpose for its entire length.

E

The department’s Highways Maintenance Section undertakes an annual walked inspection of the promenade. During such inspections the UK’s recommended defect intervention levels are applied and treatments carried out accordingly. The department will also assess defects brought to its attention by the public. Inspection and treatment records for 2018 are included in this FOI response.

Inspection and Maintenance 2018 (redacted) 

F

The department’s Highways Maintenance Section

G

As explained in E above, the department will assess defects brought to its attention by the public.