How about a Bridge Seafront Sunday?

Wednesday 27 May 2020

People are being asked what roads, streets and lanes they would like to see closed to traffic for a 'Car-free Sunday', with early support shown for the Bridge.

Environment & Infrastructure President Barry Brehaut put out a tweet over the weekend asking people which areas they would like to see pedestrianised from time to time "to allow families and children to play, scoot, cycle and generally congregate in safety."

The post sparked a number of comments from people eager to see communal areas like the Bridge or their own neighbourhoods closed to traffic on a weekly or monthly basis. 

"This is about trying to capture some of the best bits of lockdown, which has seen a reduction in traffic and has seen more people get out on their bikes and enjoy the public realm," Deputy Brehaut told Express.

"[My tweet] was about opening up the conversation. It has to be community-led, with the focus on making best use of the public realm for everyone."

"The public have welcomed the opportunity to reclaim some of the public spaces when things were quieter … we should make sure that this opportunity is not lost" spot on from @gavinstpier on @BBCRadio4. Let's keep #Guernsey walking, cycling & moving @healthimprovegg @Lindsay_Gsy

— Simon Sebire (@Simon_Sebire) May 22, 2020

Pictured: Simon Sebire from the Health Improvement Commission said 'playing out' projects were on the agenda before lockdown hit, and he is keen to restart the discussion.

One of the ideas that captured the imagination was the prospect of pedestrianising the Bridge on Sundays during the summer. 

"I’d suggest The Bridge to see what creativity emerges to rival Seafront Sundays and give a flavour of what reclaiming the area from traffic would feel like," tweeted Vale Douzenier Richard Digard.

A number of coast roads and the Le Val des Terres, which is already closed several times a year for the Hill Climb, were also suggested.

A bit off-the-wall but has to be worth serious consideration, I'd say. https://t.co/8gcDzsEtlH

— Richard Digard (@richarddigard) May 26, 2020

Pictured: The Bridge was suggested as an 'off-the-wall' alternative to Town Seafront Sundays.

Others spoke about how they had appreciated the slower pace of life these past few months, and how a decrease in traffic has contributed to that. 

"We enjoyed walking whilst our four year-old cycled along the Saltpans during the quieter days of lockdown. The road was closed from one end which made for a really peaceful and relaxing stroll," said one commenter.

Another said: "Fantastic concept - it’s made a huge difference in our little street where we can’t normally walk safely due to the speed and volume of traffic but during lock down we’ve united & bonded in a new way - a big part being next to zero traffic."

E&I Vice-President Lindsay de Sausmarez said 'play out' initiatives have to be driven by residents - meaning that any ideas that are taken forward would be because of public demand. 

"The way play streets work elsewhere is that local residents apply for their street to be closed - usually one Sunday a month. It's a bottom up thing, not a top down thing - but government does need to have the policy to facilitate, of course," she said.

Pictured: Deputy de Sausmarez said there were examples in the UK of 'play streets' being introduced successfully.

"Like so many things, people expect there to be lots of opposition, but once it's up and running it works really well and people can't imagine life without it."

In a piece on the Vale Parish website, Senior Constable Richard Leale said the lockdown had highlighted the significant impact of traffic on people’s lives.

“Whether every Sunday is too frequent or whether it should be different roads on different weekends is something we could explore,” he said. “The important thing is to see whether people think there’s merit in the suggestion and which areas might most benefit.

“Then we could ask Deputy Brehaut to see whether Environment can make it a reality.”

Pictured top: The Bridge could be closed to traffic for a 'Seafront Sunday' style event.