Rue du Maupertuis, St. Clement: Trial closure and installation of three 'raised tables' at specified locations: St. Clement's Safe Routes to School

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A decision made 10 July 1017:

Decision Reference: MD-T-2017-0061
Decision Summary Title :	St Clement’s Safe Routes to School		Date of Decision Summary:	05 July 2017
Decision Summary Author:	Assistant Engineer Transport Policy		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title :	St Clement’s Safe Routes to School		Date of Written Report:	05 July 2017
Written Report Author:	Assistant Engineer Transport Policy		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: To approve the installation of 3 No. raised tables: at the junction of Pontorson Lane with Rue de la Croix and Rue de la Chapelle at the junction of Samares Lane with Rue de la Croix and Rue du Maupertuis on Pontorson Lane between the raised table at the junction and the raised table at the exit of the Le Rocquier School path and to trial the closure of Rue du Maupertuis to through traffic
Decision(s): The Minister approved the installation of three raised tables and the trial closure of Rue du Maupertuis to through traffic.
Reason(s) for Decision: To improve the routes for walking and cycling and to remove potential conflicts between vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians along Rue du Maupertuis.
Resource Implications: Funding from capital expenditure and POA money.
Action required: Detailed design by DfI Transport Implementation. Handover to design and implementation teams.
Signature:		Position: Minister for Infrastructure
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Rue du Maupertuis, St. Clement: Trial closure and installation of three 'raised tables' at specified locations: St. Clement's Safe Routes to School

DEPARTMENT FOR INFRASTRUCTURE

ST CLEMENT’S SAFER ROUTES TO SCHOOL

Purpose of the Report

To approve the installation of three raised tables in the vicinity of the schools in St Clement and the trial blockage of Rue du Maupertuis to make the road a no through road in support of the States of Jersey Strategic Plan and the Sustainable Transport Policy to improve walking and cycling.

Background

The States of Jersey Sustainable Transport Policy sets out the goal of reducing car use by encouraging walking, cycling and the use of public transport.

Surveys by Le Rocquier School show that around 400 students attending the school come from the Le Marais and Le Squez areas. Of these, circa 140 regularly walk or cycle from the west via Rue du Maupertuis. There have been safety concerns raised within the school travel plan for pupils travelling to Le Rocquier from the west.

These numbers are likely to increase following the new residential development at Samares Nurseries. There is provision within the planning application for this development to provide field paths linking to Rue du Maupertuis.

Discussion

There are three schools within the area – Le Rocquier secondary school and St Clement and St Christopher’s primary schools.

Safety concerns have been raised regarding the conflicts occurring during school drop-off and pick up times between pedestrians and cyclists with vehicles. There are no footways linking the Le Marais and Le Squez areas to the schools. During busy times at the start and end of the school day, the roads are dominated by school pupils. These pupils are often in conflict with motorists, many of whom are going to / from the schools to drop off / collect pupils.

The proposals are for:

Installation of a raised table on Rue de Samares at the junctions with Rue du Maupertuis and Rue de la Croix
Installation of a raised table on Pontorson Lane at the junction with Rue de la Croix and Rue de la Chapelle
Installation of a raised table on Pontorson Lane circa midway between the raised table at the junction and the raised table at the exit to the Le Rocquier School path
Trialling Rue du Maupertuis as a no through road by installing a planter designed to be moved by the Parish if required for a period of 12 months.

The raised tables at the junctions will reduce the speed of vehicles which will help with visibility, making the movement of pedestrians safer. The raised table on Pontorson Lane between the junction and school path is to prevent the increase in speed between the two raised tables in line with best practise.

By trialling the closure of Rue du Maupertuis to through traffic will create a safer environment for all walkers and cyclists. The trial will then be assessed after a period of 12 months.

Two drop in sessions were held, one at Le Rocquier School and one at the Good Companions Club on Rue du Maupertuis. The banners were also left at Le Rocquier School for pupils to comment on and at the Parish Hall for the parishioners who were unable to attend either drop in session.

There were 137 questionnaires completed throughout the consultation period. Of those, 77% said there was a need for improvements to the area and 72% believe that the proposals would be of benefit.

There were also 16 comments left on the gov.je website relating to the proposals. However, the results of these comments were that 37% believed there was a need for improvement and the same percentage said the proposals would be of benefit.

Refer to Consultation report for full analysis of the consultations.

The Parish of St Clement is supportive of the interventions.

Conclusion

The scheme will provide safety benefits and encourage walking and cycling by older pupils to school. It will also encourage more walking / cycling / scootering by primary age children with their parents.

A trial closure of Rue du Maupertuis is considered viable to confirm the level of impact on neighbouring roads.

Recommendation

The Minister is recommended to approve the proposed highway installations.

Reason(s) for Decision

To improve pedestrian safety in the vicinity of the three schools in St Clement, in accordance with States of Jersey Strategic Plan and the Sustainable Transport Policy.

Resource Implications

Funding from capital expenditure and POA money.

Action Required

Detailed design by Transport Implementation. Handover to design and implementation teams.

Written by:	Assistant Engineer – Transport Policy

Approved by:	Director of Transport

Attachments:	Consultation Report