This Is Guernsey

By Nigel Baudains

This Skoda ended up in a wall after yesterday’s collision with a van at the Brock Road/Doyle Road/Rouge Huis Avenue crossroads. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0590476)

A CRASH involving two vehicles at a busy junction yesterday was simply the latest in a long line of accidents there, according to neighbours.

A silver Skoda estate ran into a wall after colliding at about 9.40am with a Sarnian Roofing van at the intersection of Brock Road, Doyle Road and Rouge Huis Avenue.

Nobody was hurt but both vehicles were extensively damaged. St Peter Port junior constable Barry Cash, who lives nearby, said more accidents happened there than probably anywhere in the island.

‘This was the second accident in a fortnight,’ he said. ‘The last one was at 2am and we regularly hear near misses.’

He said the constables had repeatedly raised the matter with representatives of the Environment Department’s traffic section.

He believed vehicles that had travelled along Brock Road from the Grange direction should be made to stop at the junction as the view of drivers exiting Rouge Huis is partially obstructed.

Nobody from the Environment Department was available for comment yesterday.

Police were unable to provide statistics on the number of reported collisions at the junction.

Ray Mabire has lived near the crossroads for 45 years. He said there were many accidents there, although most were minor.

He had raised concerns about the traffic management at the junction when it had first been put in place.

‘I think they should have a yellow line at the end of Rouge Huis Avenue instead of the white one,’ he said.

‘Speeding is a big problem around here, too, and we’ve told them about it, but nothing seems to be done.’

Some drivers coming out of Rouge Huis did not understand that they were supposed to join Doyle Road in the right-hand lane and filter to the left later if necessary, he said.

Another neighbour who did not wish to be named said she, too, was very concerned about the situation.

‘There’s a moment between when you are stopped at the end of Rouge Huis Avenue and when you decide to go when your view is blocked,’ she said.

‘And to make it worse, there’s a zebra crossing there as well.’

She agreed that many drivers coming out of Rouge Huis waited for the road to be clear from their left so they could join Doyle Road in the nearside land.

‘Then there’s all the lovely Guernsey people who stop to let drivers out of Rouge Huis Avenue, which is nice and very kind but it can tend to make things worse,’ she said.

‘Two accidents there in a week is unusual but I’d say that one a month was the norm.’

All emergency services attended yesterday’s incident. Ambulance and Rescue had been called although no one was hurt and a fire crew made the area safe while police took statements from the drivers.

Article posted on 10th June, 2008 - 2.29pm