It won't matter whether vehicles are electric or internal combustion - they will still produce traffic jams
I declare I actually read the Sustainable Transport Policy (it was a slow news day and no political chess to get excited about, if you can get excited about such things).?
Just in case you had better things to do, the policy outlined in general the following:
Launching both an e-bike and an electric vehicle and charger incentive scheme
Continuing to adjust the rates of Vehicle Emissions Duty to ensure the most polluting vehicles pay the very highest rates of import duty
Reviewing the Road Law – an ongoing project to review and modernise the legal framework for Jersey’s highways to ensure they are fit to safely enable low-carbon, sustainable and modern travel and transport
Specific funding to support the delivery of cycling and walking behaviour change programmes as well as infrastructure programme development????????????
Opportunities to work with the bus operator to trial initiatives to support increased ridership and reduced carbon emissions
A behaviour change policy to introduce green number plates for zero emission vehicles.?
All of the above is fine, but the report falls short in addressing the one critical issue. The issue that every commuter into St Helier chants (or is it rants) while in his or her vehicle, alone behind the steering wheel.? The daily ‘Jersey Way’ traffic jam.? We all complain but ironically, we are all the cause of it. ?Well perhaps not this week, the week the government decided to add additional driver misery by closing lots of roads, such fun!
At best these traffic jams will remain a part of Jersey life.? At worst, traffic jams are going to get worse, especially if more people move to the island. ??I remember many years ago listening with some bemusement when a politician (the name now escapes me), boldly stated on Channel Television that we don’t need a traffic policy as there are only a ‘finite amount’ of drivers (and therefore vehicles) in the island.??
To be blunt, it won’t matter whether vehicles are electric or internal combustion, whether we have a sustainable transport policy or not.? The vehicles will still collectively produce traffic jams.? The idea that introducing amongst other things e-bike and charger incentive schemes will assist with curbing this is avoiding the issue.?
领英推荐
You are not going to get islanders to use bikes e-bikes or otherwise to go to work and or to school en-masse.? It is far too dangerous. Why, because there are too many vehicles on our roads. It is like being on a never-ending roundabout.
As to using the bus, what we have is a couple of bus shelters on each route. The remainder of the route has uncovered bus stops liberally placed along them without any protection from the elements (or indeed from other vehicles speeding along past the bus stop or brave cyclist to join the inevitable traffic jam).? This is hardly going to attract a change in attitude amongst islanders.? Why on earth would you stand outside in the cold and rain waiting for a bus when you can get into your warm car and drive?
Being cynical, perhaps politicians are trying to deal with this matter by stealth by making travel into St Helier a truly painful experience (even more painful at the moment). I offer up in evidence the daily Jersey ‘jam’ around the Hill Street area, St Savours Hill, Queens Road etc, with the knock-on effect all around St Helier due to ‘strategically placed’ pedestrian crossings.? The problem is no one is paying attention to these stealth tactics, they are still using their vehicles en masse. ?
I met with a friend (in the know) a couple of weeks ago and we discussed this matter. ?One argument that he raised was that our infrastructure minister should consider the development of mobility hubs to assist with the mass movement of islanders on the commuter trail into and out of St Helier. ?
Jersey does not have a train or tram network and the costs to establish such would be too high, therefore he suggested we should consider the implementation of a series of mobility hubs (they have been around in Europe since 2003). ??His idea is to develop a policy focused on setting up a mobility hub at each of the 11 parish halls.? A system whereby at peak periods buses from such a hub could offer, say on a half hourly basis, a non-stop (or limited stop) journey to and from St Helier.? One could strategically place an additional hub or hubs along each route to ensure that a journey to a hub is ‘not too far’ for a commuter to reach.?? So instead of driving into St Helier each day you drive or cycle to your closest mobility hub.
This, he further argued could help reduce the resulting traffic chaos and perhaps reduce the maintenance and upkeep of roads and or the necessity to build more car parks. This in turn could provide safer roads that could open up the opportunity for people using alternative transport such as bikes, e-bikes etc to use the island road’s lessening the risk of an accident.?
Before the anti-cyclist crew jump on board, I, for one am not advocating the abolition of vehicles or that everyone must or should become cyclists or indeed catch the bus.? Clearly there will always remain a need for islanders to drive a car or any other type of vehicle.?
However, if we take a step out of our vehicle for one moment, think about how much more of a pleasant day we could have if were not stuck in a traffic jam trying to get to work (or dropping the kids to school). ?Just imagine how much time and money we could save. Just think about how less stressful it could be. ?If we were to objectively consider transport suggestions and solutions, perhaps we could not only ease congestion but we could all collectively contribute to providing safer roads with resulting benefits. ?
This issue up to date was probably on the too difficult pile. Politicians traditionally do not want to grapple with changing entrenched cultural norms, as this may harm re-election chances. ?However, with the Connétable of St John appointed as infrastructure minister and Deputy Binet, the report’s commissioner remaining on the government bus, perhaps consideration will now be given to discussing and developing policy to address such issues for the benefit of all islanders.?
Or perhaps we are all content with things as they are?? ?As the electorate we are ultimately in the ‘driving seat’ (truly sorry, as I said it was a slow news day when I wrote this article).