COURTIL ST JACQUES residents have welcomed the introduction of experimental speed cushions in their road. ‘It’s definitely a good idea,’ said Tom Lee.

‘I’ve got two young children and there’s more along the road. Anything to stop people going fast is great.

‘I would prefer a few more. By the time people get here, they’re going really fast.’

Hazel de Garis agreed that speeding was a problem in the area.

‘I think something has got to be done because the traffic goes much too fast,’ she said. ‘For a long time, everybody in the road has been asking for something to be done.’

Her husband, John, said it had taken the Traffic Committee a long time to do anything about the problem.

‘They’ve been thinking about doing something for a long time. They don’t do anything very quickly,’ he said.

‘There have been a lot of accidents in this road. At the bottom of the road, the wall has been knocked down several times.’

The Traficop system is designed to slow traffic without impeding emergency services, buses or cyclists. It will be in place for 12 months and, if successful, could be used in other areas of the island.

It uses rubber mats on both sides of the road with a break in the centre and gaps at either kerb. While cars cannot avoid them, wider vehicles are able to pass with their wheels either side of the cushions.

‘We are committed to cutting the high incidence of speeding in Guernsey and we will look at any measures that can do this effectively,’ said a spokesman for the Traffic Committee.

He went on to say that the Traficop system could be ideal for residential areas. The mats are made of recycled rubber so cars driving over them do not cause excessive noise. ‘If the Courtil St Jacques scheme is successful, speed cushions could be a new means of tackling speeding without the disadvantages associated with other measures,’ said the spokesman.

A successful demonstration was staged last September and received a positive response from representatives of the local emergency services.

The committee said it had been liaising closely with Courtil St Jacques residents over the issue.