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Safer walking plan

Recently I was walking along a town pavement with Deputy Steve Ahier when he received an almighty whack on his elbow which had him doubled up in pain. He had been struck by the wing mirror of a passing vehicle. Fortunately he was ok, but it illustrated just how important it is for us to get our pavements widened wherever possible to protect pedestrians from injury; many of our busiest pavements are too narrow for two people to walk side by side, and some are so narrow even a solitary walker has to be careful to keep their arms tucked in. So it is a great relief that the States have at last decided to implement a pavement widening scheme for Midvale Road (see page 6 of our November Town Crier), which has a long history of injury accidents. Residents have been asking for this essential improvement for at least two decades, and it has been approved by the States Assembly on several occasions, including in two Island Plans, as well as in the North of Town Masterplan (2010). I am grateful to the Regeneration Steering Group for finally giving the green light for the work to proceed, though I suspect that the majority of residents in the street and the nearby area may well have moved on by now. Still, wider pavements in Midvale Road will be appreciated by the hundreds of commuters who walk in and out of town along its length, as well as by people who live in the area. The Masterplan envisages extending these generous walking routes all the way down David Place and Bath Street, and I will be pressing for the Midvale Road project to be but the first phase in implementing this vital walking route in its entirety.

Simon Crowcroft, Constable of St Helier