He says that better consultation is crucial if the anger roused by this winter’s programme of works is to be avoided in the future.Although changes in the town’s traffic flow, such as the current Halkett Place trial, are out of parish hands, Mr Crowcroft said that he wanted to put St Helier in the driving seat.’My overall feeling is that people tend to look to the Constable of the parish to sort out problems of this sort.
Clearly the St Helier Constable is not actually responsible.
Nor does he have the powers to alter traffic flows, as that is invested by the States in Environment and Public Services.
But the parish can facilitate that information by organising a traffic seminar to give people an update on the States policy,’ he said.Mr Crowcroft wants to hold the first seminar in March to bring together all parties involved in transport planning in St Helier, as well as residents, traders, transport providers and politicians, in particular the town Deputies.He also suggested there should be a permanent display at the Town Hall of town traffic proposals to give everyone an opportunity to comment from the earliest possible stage.
This, he added, would avoid the rows which had broken out late last year between Environment, residents, traders and interest groups over the Halkett Street changes and Street Life improvements in Broad Street and New Street.
He envisaged the seminars being run on the lines of one held two years ago when the Broad Street changes were first publicised.That workshop, he said, had been a very successful exercise which enabled people to put their point of view across.
However, it had been a mistake to have no follow-up.
This was why he had received so many complaints last autumn when Environment announced their intention to proceed.’The idea for the workshop was born out of a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce in December when I met their transport sub-committee.
They wanted to be more involved and to get their views across to the policymakers,’ he said.Mr Crowcroft is also addressing the issue of parking in town.
He is heading a working party with the aim of giving residents, businesses, shoppers and visitors a bigger say.
A major aim is to create more residential parking schemes.
