Elizabeth College Junior School head teacher Suzanne Battey helps parents get out of the car park yesterday afternoon after roadworks caused chaos in the area in the morning. Also directing the traffic is Special Constable Andre Francart. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0842773)
TRAFFIC chaos engulfed St Peter Port yesterday as work began in the Grange.
Public Services was forced to apologise for the gridlock, which delayed hundreds of workers and parents. The department admitted that the work could have been done in the school summer holidays except for scheduling problems.
The closure of the road from Les Gravees to and including the Brock Road junction forced drivers to take extensive diversions.
Nearby schools were badly affected.
Beechwood School was doubly hit, with parents getting stuck at the main entrance on Queen’s Road and the Acorn House entrance on King’s Road.
Elizabeth College Junior School head teacher Suzanne Battey estimated about 50 pupils were late.
‘The traffic was absolutely chaotic this morning. Many parents arrived frustrated by the amount of time it had taken to get here and their children were upset as they don’t like to be late for school.
‘It is a bit perplexing that the States chose now to undertake the roadworks, right after the school summer holidays when the roads are noticeably quieter.’
Public Services said the department had enough staff and equipment to work on only two roads in the summer. It had planned to dig up Baubigny Road and Les Gigands, but a complaint from a business meant work on the latter was cancelled. Head of transport services Peter Tidd said that by then it was too late to switch to The Grange.
‘In an ideal world we would have moved the Grange resurfacing work into the school holidays,’ he said. ‘But it simply isn’t an option to bring road closures forward at short notice.’
The delays could be good for the environment, according to Vauvert Primary School head teacher Philip Lowe. He expected more children to be walking to school during the work.
‘Parents are likely to be parking further away and have the children walking in,’ he said. ‘It is great to have them walking to school and it’s good for them.’
Vauvert was at a standstill at 8.45am yesterday. Mr Lowe expected the roadworks to continue to cause problems during the week.
‘Whenever work is done in the area, it has knock-on effect on us,’ he said. ‘There will be jams.’
At Ladies’ College, 50 pupils were late and some teachers were also caught in the delays.
Principal Jo Riches was also encouraging pupils to walk.
‘It is always a problem when there is work like this,’ she said.
‘There was some confusion about how to get to the school. The signs were not clear.’
The school can be accessed from the Rohais heading east.
Ms Riches has asked pupils to leave earlier or walk if possible.
‘It’s is not always feasible to walk or catch earlier buses, though,’ she said. ‘There will continue to be problems.’
Article posted on 17th September, 2009 - 9.00am
35 Article Comments
Its no surprise really…
Once again the people WE PAY to look after our roads engaged diggers before brains…..
Someone missed a boat because of it I heard on the radio – I hope the buffoons that caused this chaos are going to reimburse them??
These guys couldnt organise a knees up in a brewery – but hey… Its no surprise – they are the States of Guernsey!!!
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So the travelling public are not in anyway contributory to the ‘chaos’ that ensued then…they didn’t see the advanced warning signs that I saw on Thursday – some 5 days before the works started, and they obviously didn’t call traffic to query routes and diversions in advance either. Yes it could have been scheduled better but there was prior warning and motorists could have avoided the area completely. We all want new utility services which damage the roads, yet are not able to tolerate the works needed to repair the roads afterwards! It should also be said that the commercial radio stations over sensationalising of this matter did not help at all – advice on how to use the diversions would have helped more!
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I agree with Dadude, I was well informed and well aware of the closures both through early warning signs in the area and the Press.And as a result planned my route and leaving times to allow for delays. There is no winning sometimes I guess, if they had of closed it in the summer people would of moaned that our main route in and out of St Peter Port was closed during Tourist season with many holiday makers confused by diversions etc etc.
Must be a slow day at the press to report of this non-news!
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All in all a pretty minor inconvenience. Guernsey is inundated with cars meaning roads need maintenance, as well as the works required to get services to houses and businesses. There aren’t many major routes in and out of town. If we want these facilities, then delays are inevitable occasionally.
I know it isn’t always helpful to compare Guernsey to the mainland but we really should be grateful that the majority of us can get to work day in day out in less than an hour – often much quicker. Perhaps the fact that when it comes to commuting we have such a cushy number here we’re quick to throw our toys out of the pram when it takes a little longer.
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Why exactly is the road having to be dug up now, and when will it have to be dug up again?
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The road is being resurfaced from the Gravees junction across Queens Road, Brock Road and Victoria Road junctions, according to the traffic office and the States Traffic ‘Island Roadwords Information Service (IRIS) website! That would mean that there will be no planned roadworks for three years in that section once completed.
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Paul Le P., you say the island has a cushy number. We should not forget though that in many parts of the UK and the continent they have trains which many commuters could switch to when need be. The island doesn`t have that alternative.
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Typical Guernsey headline….come on guys, take a pill…..As for the kids being upset they were late for school, that made me chuckle..Unfortunate for those who missed the boat but does suggest lack of forward planning.
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Slep – I disagree. First, the UK and Europe have a far greater landmass that makes trains viable. Guernsey isn’t big enough to justify a rail network. Second, what about cycling and walking? What about traffic density reduction by taking buses or car sharing during roadwork times. These are all viable alternatives in an island the size of Guernsey.
Fair enough they’re not so convenient but “gridlock” like the last couple of days is the price we pay for that conveneince. Have we become so reliant on the convenience of our own vehicles that we’ve lost the ability to think “outside the car”? I’m as guilty as anyone else, so I’m asking myself the same question.
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Some of the comuters who have been held up by road works in the Grange this week should try leaving their cars at home and walking or use the buses. It really is a much more pleasant way to go to work. You arrive refreshed from the walk to work or to and from the bus stop and stress-free from travelling on the bus. I recommend it!
I’m not anti-car and there are some days that I drive to work, but most days if you are going straight to work and straight home again, do you really need to use your car?
The same goes for Beechwood children. There is a bus stop outside the school and it is well known that children who walk to school, arrive clear headed and ready to learn.
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What’s new?
Chaos happens for the first couple of days with every road closure despite the early warnings.
Driving to work is so automatic that people don’t THINK about an alternative route till they see the road closed sign.
Now that we’re a couple of days into the closure I bet the ‘chaos’ has subsided
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Unfortunately I missed the warning signs because I had cycled all the previous week and take a different route on the bike. On Monday I took the car and was caught up in this. I dived off the Rohais, took a different route and a drive commute that takes 10 minutes if there is no traffic ended up taking 25. Hardly the end of the world.
I’m back on the bike for the rest of this week and it is bliss, as ever!
We love our cars too much here, ususally for no good reason.
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Paul Le P., I was not actually suggesting the island should set up a railway, only stating the fact that Guernsey doesn`t have one.
But what you otherwise wrote is good. I`m amazed how reluctant people are to cycle or walk, even when the weather`s nice. Walking Wendy put it very well.
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We have an ad on TV at present ,American , I might add. of 2 people on escalators when they shut down…they are calling for help , saying that they are trapped on an escalator…Duh…common sense is called for. walk, share transport, cycle etc.
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Sometimes roadworks are necessary – but this particular closure (which is changing the traffic route every couple of days) is arguably not necessary. Does the road really need resurfacing?
Why do Ronez close for a month in August – when the schools are all shut?
It has not made much difference to me as i start work early, when there is little traffic – but for parents/children/teachers etc it appears to have been a nightmare …… and of course there were no buses as they could not access the top of the Grange. The IRIS site was not working properly on Monday.
Not everyone has the option of walking or cycling unless they leave home 2 hours before they need to be at school/work. Families with children at different schools/playschools and then needing to get to work etc
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Hi Darlings!
I’m a big fan of walking, cycling and public transport but I had to drive my old sports into this supposed “Gridlock” yesterday afternoon and just as the schools were kicking out the little darlings too………..
It was slightly unpleasant for a little while as I was stuck at exhaust height in the row of 4×4 tanks heading to Ladies College but I reckon it took 5 minutes longer than usual.
No big deal.
Molly you are wrong, EVERYONE has the option of walking or cycling, but most people just choose to dismiss them as viable options without giving it much thought.
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Mrs P – sorry to be perdantic but not everyone has the option of walking or cycling…the elderly or disabled don’t for example. However the vast majority of us do – even those who claim to need their cars to deliver kids to school etc.
For starters all children of secondary school age (bar the disabled) should be capable of either walking, riding or taking a bus. The only reason they don’t is either convenience, lazyness, or a mixture of both. Again, so as not to be accused of hypocrisy, I place myself in this category!
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To Molly – yes that bit of road did need resurfacing …. there was a huge pothole in the Brock Road junction that no amount of patching was ever going to fix.
The fact that everyone wants the work done in the school holidays shows the real problem with traffic flow is everybody driving their kids to school, not the timing of the roadworks ….
And when exactly should the work be done ? Everybody says term time is out, summer is out for various reasons, Christmas would obviously be insane, the half terms are too short ….
So does that mean that all major roadworks have to take place at Easter ????
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I agree with DaDude, every diversion and closure was signposted and readable, if people took the time to re structure thier journey or left earlier then a lot of hassle could have been saved. The roads need re surfacing as our affleuent island has too many vehicles using them.
If you want to dance, you have to pay the band!
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Go by bike.
Cheaper. Faster. Quieter. No parking problems. Kinder to the environment.
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99.9% of bank/office/shop workers dont need to drive a car to work. All these people do is clog up the parking areas in town. Some of us have no choice but to drive in to work due to the amount of equipment we need just to do our jobs. What ever happened to school children walking,riding a bike or getting a bus to school, this is the way the vast majority used to get to school.
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Having recently spent 4 relaxing days in the island, I see roadworks as a minor inconvenience. I have been a regular visitor to Guernsey over the past 21 years – twice this year – and one fact is inescapable: the island is overrun with cars.
The states have done well in providing Guernsey with a good bus service. There isn’t anywhere in the mainland where a journey costs 60p. Thirty three people on a bus will remove almost that many cars from your roads.
If you want to see roadworks, then spend some time here, specially in the west. A few months ago, roadworks in my locality resulted in several kilometres of traffic jams. There was plenty of advance warning. Unfortunately, the idiot monopoly bus operator didn’t reroute their sparse services either. We were all inconvenienced for months.
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Paul Le P, sorry to be so pedantic, but there’s no ‘R’ in pedantic!!
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When you’re in a mess (and our traffic situation can be described as that), there’s several ways of getting out.
1. Appeal to people’s good nature to do what’s needed to change. So please, fit and healthy workers in town commuting in without a need to carry lots of heavy gear, walk or cycle. Unfortunately, despite much appealing, there’s not much sign of change. We all love our cars too much.
2. Reward desired behaviour or punish undesired behaviour. This covers everything from cheap bus fares, paid parking, taxing company parking spaces, and very high fuel duty, to subsidised cycle purchase schemes. Notoriously difficult for politicians to push through, as everyone complains, and nothing seems “fair”.
3. Ban or limit undesired behaviour. This includes things like removing parking places (turn North beach into a park!), issuing permits to drive into town, or schemes where odd and even numberplated vehicles are banned on alternate days. Again, no prizes for seeing how much this will be resisted.
4. Lump it. Carry on taking 45 minutes to drive into town, and setting off ridiculously early to bag a good parking place. Waste petrol by sitting in queues. Pollute the environment. Be late for work. Rant at roadworks. Let your children get fat sitting in the back seat instead of getting some exercise.
Guess which of these we’ve chosen so far? Any bets which we’ll continue to pick for the next decade?
And it is our choice. If we don’t like it, it’s up to us to lobby for the change we want.
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Sorry Blogger, utter rubbish.
If I drive, I leave the house at 8.30 and get home by 5.20
I’ve just checked the bus timetables. I work 9-5 in an office. If I want to be in the office for those hours, I have to be at the bus stop at 8.00am and won’t get home till 6.20pm. I also have 30 minutes of walking time to allow to get from my house to my stop and Town to my office and back.
So with two small children to help look after and just spend time with I lose 90 minutes with them just so I can ride the bus. Sorry but 7.5 hours a week with my family – that’s not a sacrifice I’m going to make.
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Paul LP – your comment about everyone able to walk or get the bus to school is frankly wrong. Some students play an instrument or do extra activities within school that make this near impossible…have you ever tried to push bike or ride a crowded bus while carrying a double bass or tuba?
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James, I agree with you and would like to add that if some of these bankers didn’t have to show off how much they earn by buying oversized 4×4s for their wives to drop their only child off to school a mile down the road before they head off for a manicure and a sauna, the problem of gridlock would be greatly reduced. I’m stereotyping, but it does happen!
I know someone who lives at Trinity Square, drives to work in town and has to park at Salerie Corner! He says it’s because he wants to drive his nice car…
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Why do children need driven to school and collected by car every day. many of them could catch a school bus provided by states these services are under used in most cases. As for the road works regardless of where they are can some one someplace invest in sets of temporary traffic lights which can be set up to accomadate several junctions ie Grange both ways Victoria Road Queens Road some of the work could have been done at the weekend to reduce disruption.Or do one side one month and the other the following month and use the temp traffic control systems the works may take longer but possibly less disruption There must be and easier way.
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“have you ever tried to push bike or ride a crowded bus while carrying a double bass or tuba?”
How about with a flute, a violin, an oboe, a clarinet…? We have around 6000 school children, and I’m willing to bet you a fiver that I can count the number of tuba players amongst them on one hand…
If you can get on the bus with a pushchair, you can get on it with pretty much any musical instrument or sports gear you could think of, barring the outlandish stuff like tubas, timpani and pedal harps. Maybe I’ll allow javelins in that list as well. And pole vaulting poles.
Once taught road safety and appropriately mature, most children do not need to be transported in cars to and from school. Nor do they need to ride in on deafening mopeds, for that matter.
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Starscream – although your point is technically correct you are taking it to the absolute extreme I think.
I concede when mini-Sting needs to bring his double bass to school a lift is valid however they are the vast exception, not the rule. Also, I doubt they would need to cart their equipment to and fro every day – perhaps once or twice a week, meaning alternative methods of transportation are perfectly valid the other days.
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There is never much traffic when the kids are off school, if children were able to walk,cycle or catch the bus the problem would be solved but I suppose many parents would argue that the roads are too busy and unsafe for kids to use – its a bit of a no win situation!
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I don’t know where Brian got the idea that the school bus services are underused in most cases. I can only assume he has never observed how crowded the school buses are when they arrive at or leave the schools.
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Really Paul?
How about mini-Sting having Double Bass Monday and Thursday, Hockey (he’s the goalie) Tuesday and Friday (game) and Dad has a regular meeting at the Bridge office (works in Town) on Wednesdays so needs his car. Suddenly that’s every day, and believe me, it’s not so far fetched.
Lots of children do more than one extra-curricular activity. And it might just be the case that those activities don’t fit in with bus timetables/too tight timewise to cycle/finish at 7pm leaving too little time to cycle home/get buses etc.
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If I can get a full 60l rucksack and a double surfboard bag through the metro in Mexico City at rush hour, then a few more people could manage to cycle to work or walk. I live well out of town and it’s faster and more enjoyable for me to cycle to work than driving.
People need their cars for the tuba-playing hockey-goalkeeping little wonders in the world, I don’t that’s being disputed, in most cases though it’s the rest who just don’t think about what they’re doing and just jump straight in the car for all purposes, rather than just for the exceptions.
I see a lot of cars driven by a single Mr Businessman, driving from within the town limits to their office, just because they can/too lazy/too good for the bus.
I’d be all for benefits etc. for not using the car, car share schemes and, sadly, if feasible a dedicated school bus service. My pops uses the bus to get to work and unfortunately a bus load of teenagers at 8am is not typically a pleasant experience.
Oh, and an underground system. That’d be sweet.
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OK Billythefish….so how many children do you know who are both hockey goalkeepers and double bass players? :-)
I get the point that some children will need transportation by car for the various reasons given but I’ll need a lot of convincing that these scenarios are the rule and not the exception.
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