The paved sections of road in Gas Place, which indicate where pedestrians should cross but provide no legal requirement for vehicles to stop, were installed as part of the project to create the park, which opened in 2011.
Silvio Alves, director of technical and environmental services for St Helier, said the parish was not in favour of them and the Roads Committee had now given its unanimous approval to install two traditional pedestrian crossings at the junctions of Apsley Road and Chevalier Road with Gas Place.
Infrastructure Minister Eddie Noel would have to give his approval before the work is carried out.
The so-called courtesy crossings installed by the Infrastructure Department at the bottom of Wellington Road were described as ‘an accident waiting to happen’ earlier this year by resident and mother-of-two Nicola McAteer.
Mr Alves said the crossings could be ‘confusing’, adding that parish officials intended to speak to the Infrastructure Department about Wellington Road.
Meanwhile, the Roads Committee meeting also heard from panel member the Dean of Jersey, the Very Rev Mike Keirle, who said recent changes to Gas Place had given pedestrians, particularly children, a false sense of security.
The volume of traffic travelling down the road has fallen dramatically since September when the parish blocked the road to through traffic.
Now cars turning onto Gas Place have to turn left onto Apsley Road, meaning they cannot drive all the way through onto Oxford Road and where the Co-op Grand Marché is. Mr Alves did not have the figures but said he suspected traffic had reduced substantially.
Mr Keirle said at this week’s meeting: ‘I absolutely support that [the introduction of pedestrian crossings in Gas Place]. It is very concerning, the road there. I have seen children crossing the road in front of cars.
‘Children think it is safe now because of the changes and they just go without looking. I have seen that two or three times.’
The meeting heard that developers Dandara have agreed to donate a section of land where the former Maison de Ville care home is to allow the parish to create a wider footpath lined with bollards to protect pedestrians, especially children accessing Janvrin School, from traffic.
Earlier this year a petition was started by parents concerned about increased traffic in the area as a result of Dandara’s development and the development of the old JCG site, College Gardens. At the time, Janvrin head teacher Iain George said parents were considering pulling their children out of school because they were so concerned.
Mr Alves said that those behind the petition had shared ‘false’ information and he had spoken to the Education Department and Mr George, who were now happy with the situation. He said he intended to meet those behind the petition soon.
