Seale Street zebra crossing

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A decision made 23 February 2010 regarding: Seale Street zebra crossing.

Decision Reference: MD-T-2010-0015
Decision Summary Title :	Seale Street Zebra Crossing		Date of Decision Summary:	29 January 2010
Decision Summary Author:	Acting Senior Engineer		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title :	Seale Street Zebra Crossing		Date of Written Report:	29 January 2010
Written Report Author:	Acting Senior Engineer		Written Report : Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Subject: The installation of a zebra crossing, without belisha beacons, across Seale Street at its junction with York Street.
Decision(s): The Minister approved the installation of a zebra crossing across Seale Street at the junction with York Street for a trial period of six months, and to assess the effectiveness of the crossing, delays to vehicular traffic, and the effect of those delays on drivers, during that time.
Reason(s) for Decision: At the request of the Parish of St Helier to establish a zebra crossing across Seale Street at the junction with York Street.
Resource Implications: The Parish of St Helier are to meet all the costs associated with implementing the crossing.
Action required: Acting Senior Engineer to notify the Parish of the Minister’s decision.
Signature:		Position:
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Seale Street zebra crossing

TRANSPORT AND TECHNICAL SERVICES

SEALE STREET ZEBRA CROSSING

Purpose of the Report

The installation of a zebra crossing, without belisha beacons, across Seale Street at its junction with York Street.

Background

The Parish of St Helier are carrying out improvements for pedestrians in Seale Street by removing some of the parking and widening the pavements. As part of the works the Parish of St Helier wish to establish a zebra crossing at the eastern end of Seale Street at the junction with York Street.

Discussion

Under Article 69 of the Road Traffic (Jersey) Law 1956, the Minister for Transport and Technical Services may, after consultation with the Connétable of the Parish in which the road is situated, establish on any road such crossings for pedestrians as the Minister considers necessary. Seale Street is a parish administered road and the Parish has asked the Minister to approve the installation of a zebra crossing at the eastern end of Seale Street at the junction with York Street, a TTS administered main road.

Surveys of pedestrians and vehicles using this junction have been carried out over two days. The results of those surveys are attached at appendix A. Over the two days surveyed during the am peak hours an average of 270 vehicles per hour turn left out of Seale Street. Just over 200 pedestrians crossed in both directions at this location during the morning peak. The delay to pedestrians, or time that pedestrians had to stop and wait for a gap in the traffic, was also recorded. The maximum delay to pedestrians crossing at this point in the morning peak hour, when vehicular traffic is highest, was found to be four seconds. Four pedestrians were delayed an average of two to three seconds. A similar pattern was found to be the case in the evening though the number of pedestrians was higher, but did not exceed the number of vehicles.

Over the two days surveyed, 1,926 pedestrians were counted during the periods observed of which 36 were delayed more than one second. Of those delayed, the average delay was three seconds.

Seale Street is a minor road from which drivers are required to give way to drivers on York Street. Vehicles would have to stop on the crossing to establish that there is not a vehicle on York Street that requires them to give way. While this has worked at the junction of Weighbridge Place and The Esplanade, visibility for drivers is considerably better in this location. There is an existing raised table zebra crossing across York Street immediately in front of the Town Hall. Such an arrangement has not been successful in the past leading to the removal of a zebra crossing in Halkett Place immediately south of Beresford Street

The implementation of controlled crossings should be considered very carefully. There is a careful balance to be struck between providing for pedestrians while ensuring vehicles can move about without unreasonable delay. Such delay could lead to driver frustrations and a failure to give way to pedestrians on other zebra crossings at locations where the crossing is of more benefit. In a location such as this where pedestrian delay is negligible the Department would normally not consider the installation of a zebra to be an appropriate course of action.

Not withstanding the aforementioned, Seale Street is relatively lightly trafficked and vehicle speeds are already very low in this location. The Connétable of St Helier is very keen to establish a zebra crossing at this location and establish priority for pedestrians over vehicular traffic in this location.

Conclusion

The junction of Seale Street and York Street is not an ideal location for a zebra crossing. However, as the Parish and Connétable are very keen for this crossing, the crossing should be installed on a trial basis for six months and the delay to vehicles and benefit to pedestrians assessed during that time.

Recommendation

The Minister is recommended to approve the installation of a zebra crossing across Seale Street at its junction with York Street for a trial period of six months, and to assess the effectiveness of the crossing, delays to vehicular traffic, and the affect of these delays on drivers, during that time.

Reason(s) for Decision

To enable the Parish of St Helier to establish a zebra crossing across Seale Street at the junction with York Street.

Resource Implications

The Parish of St Helier are to meet all costs associated with implementing the crossing.

Action Required

The Department to notify the Parish of this Decision in order that the Parish can to organise the required work on site.

Written by:	Acting Senior Engineer

Approved by:	Acting Director of Transport

Attachments:	Appendix A – Survey Results