Monday 16 June 2014
Media enquiry from Paul Ainsworth, Guernsey Press:
I have a media enquiry following another accident at the Halfway this morning.
The owner of the Halfway Café claims that there are at least two accidents a week at this filter.
He said it is an accident blackspot.
Could Environment confirm whether this area has been identified as a blackspot?
Have or will the department consider any new measures to reduce accidents?
Just to add to this morning's halfway junction enquiry. Sergeant John Tostevin has just told me that this junction may be redesigned as part of the approved development project at GT Cars.
Could you confirm whether this is right and provide further details of what this may entail?
Environment Department response:
The Halfway junction is one of the busiest and most complex junctions on the Island linking the north-west of the Island with the busy inter-harbour route between St. Peter Port and St. Sampson. It is perhaps therefore not surprising that it has one of the highest traffic accident records with a reported 10 accidents over the past two years (2012 - 2013).
The junction is presently controlled by means of a filter-in-turn for traffic heading along the seafront and southbound out of Vale Road. There is also a left-turn priority lane for traffic heading into Vale Road from the south and a stop line for Vale Road traffic heading north towards the Bridge.
The majority of accidents involve traffic using the filter at the southern end of the junction and usually result from a misunderstanding of which vehicle has 'right of way'. However, the Department currently has no knowledge of the exact location or cause of today's road traffic accident in the immediate area of the junction.
The Environment Department works closely with the Police and will review junction signage and traffic control methods as and when accident causation warrants such a review.
With regard to the GT Cars site, it is proposed to improve pedestrian facilities in the area by incorporating a new bus lay-by and shelter (negating the requirement for northbound bus passengers to cross over the road to the current stop located within the current junction) and a pedestrian refuge to assist people wishing to cross Les Bas Courtils to the north of the current Halfway filter.
ENDS
