New traffic regulations introduced

Changes to the island’s traffic regulations have come into force.

The General Services Committee (GSC) has decided that the 30CWT vehicle weight limit which currently applies to Victoria Street will now apply to every cobbled street in the island.

A States spokesman said the rule had been extended in order to prevent damage to the sewers beneath the streets.

Another change sees the speed limit in Butes Lane reduced to 15mph.

The spokesman said: "This lane is very tight in places, with poor visibility and steep sections.

"The speed limit has been reduced to 15mph to suit the road conditions and prevent accidents and injury to pedestrians."

The rest of the changes relate to parking in the island.

A further disc parking bay has been created on the east of Braye Street, over a distance of 30m outside The Moorings. No other parking will be permitted on this side of the street and signs will be put up defining the parking areas.

Signs will also be put up to show that parking is not permitted on Douglas Quay beyond the yellow lines and in the whole turning area outside the First and Last Restaurant. The disc parking covers Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm, and parking is permitted for one hour maximum. A loading bay will be marked outside Jeans Store for commercial use only.

It is now legal to park at the airport for 48 hours, while disc parking outside the church has been extended to 23 hours, except for Sundays from 7am to 7pm, during which parking will be limited to two hours in order to accommodate church-goers.

"This allows the car park to be used generally during the week but frees it up for church-goers on Sundays," said the spokesman.

The Huret and Connaught Square will be designated as disc parking zones, with continuous parking there limited to 48 hours.

The spokesman said: "This will allow regular use of the space but will discourage long-term storage of cars in these well-used spaces where street parking is in short supply."

A GSC spokesman said: "Most of these traffic changes are to resolve problems that the public or other bodies have brought to our attention.

"The signs for most of these changes will go up at the end of January. It may take a little longer for the Connaught Square and Huret changes to be made. Once the signs are up in each area then the regulations will be enforced by the police."

5 comments on this article

Create a unique icon for your replies at gravatar.com	Nicolette | Mon 10th August 2009 I'm happy to be without any vehicle at all, just as soon as you make the island flat! Otherwise the states need to stop wasting money on signs.

Create a unique icon for your replies at gravatar.com	Doug White | Sat 11th July 2009 Bermuda had a similar problem but I believe they solved via a one vehicle per household policy. If wanted to replace your car you had to prove you'd exported, scrapped your existing vehicle or sold it to a taxi company.

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Icy | Thu 9th July 2009 It's a nice thought to make the island car free but unfortunatley just not practical. Doctors, Nurses, Ambulance Staff, Police, Fire Fighters, RNLI and many more have to have vehicles without exception. Builders also need vehicles to transport materials and tools. The list of people needing vehicles is endless to be fair and there would only be arguments about who should and who shouldn't have them. It's best just left.

Create a unique icon for your replies at gravatar.com	pinklady | Sun 19th April 2009 i remember when there was only a few vechicles on the island. it was so much nicer was unique feature not having to worry about cars speeding round the corner. there seems to be so many cars on the island now.

Create a unique icon for your replies at gravatar.com	Andy | Fri 6th March 2009 It would be nice to make the whole Island car free I think its small enough with a couple of tweaks.

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