EMERGENCY vehicles could be blocked because of on-street parking. Home Department member Graham Guille said it was only a matter of time before a fire engine could not make it to an emergency because of parked cars.
He believes government should not be sanctioning it by having residents’ parking schemes in Town.
But the Environment Department said that these used ordinary disc zones and so created no new provision.
It was also in contact with the emergency services and addressed any obstruction issues.
Chief fire officer Ron Taylor said that the brigade did not have any major problems.
But Deputy Guille, a former fireman, said that more multi-storey and off-street parking was required.
‘In Town after dark there are so many cars parked on the streets that big emergency vehicles find it difficult to get through,’ he said.
‘It is not so bad for ordinary motorists, but in places like the Strand and Valnord, there are so many cars that I think they would prevent emergency access.’
Deputy Guille said the problem in the island was not the amount of traffic but the fact that it was trying to park and circulate on the same bit of road.
‘The Environment Department is in constant contact with all emergency services regarding any issues that arise for them, and wherever necessary we will address obstruction hazards. It is something we take very seriously,’ said a spokesman.
Mr Taylor does not believe there is a problem and said that if there were one, it could be solved.
‘It can be difficult at times but legal on-street parking does not cause the brigade any issues - the type of legal parking is therefore irrelevant,’ he said.
‘We have had problems in the past but the department responsible for traffic has always been willing to re-evaluate sites and change their status if necessary to allow free travel.’
Deputy Guille said that the brigade was one of the few around the country which met its targeted response times, but the residents’ parking schemes were altering the situation.
‘We are changing the rules that change the equation. Government should be making it better, not worse.
But a department spokesman added: ‘The provision of on-street parking is out of necessity. However, the States has accepted, as part of the integrated road transport strategy, that where possible this should be replaced by off-street provision. Opportunities to do this will be considered as and when they arise.
‘However, anyone parking illegally, whether they are causing an obstruction or not, is an issue for the Guernsey Police.’
Deputy Guille questioned whether government sanctioning of on-street parking made it liable if there was an emergency and a vehicle could not get through because of a legally parked car.
‘It is very difficult to balance all the vying interests when you are constructing traffic policy but I want these problems taken into consideration,’ he said.
He wrote to the former Traffic Committee in December, but it refused to change the policy.
The new integrated risk plan that aims to present the most suitable way forward for the fire brigade is to be published for public consultation in September.
Article posted on 11th August, 2004 - 12.00am
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