28 April 2020
The monthly meeting of the Environment & Natural Resources Committee and the Highways Authority took place on Thursday, 16 April 2020.
The use of traffic cones by some individuals in Market Street is causing concern. The public is reminded that permission to use these cones is granted by the Highways Authority to individuals or organisations on a one-off basis for special occasions only. Residents of Market Street who are disabled or have mobility issues have permission to use cones to enable access to their homes. Business owners who operate from their homes have permission to use ‘Merchant – No Parking’ signs for a limited period to load and offload goods. Special permission is also granted on request from religious denominations to enable functions outside of their normal services.
The new solar lights installed in Jamestown have caused some concerns with residents. These solar lights have a similar light intensity (lumens) as the previous lights, however, because they are dark skies compliant, the area these lights illuminate are not the same. These lights are fitted with a motion sensor which has a detection distance of six metres either side of the light, and will remain on at full brightness for a period of 20 seconds. If no motion is detected, the lights will go into standby mode and will work at 30% full brightness. Some corrective measures have been made to allow the lights to be constantly on between 7pm and 11pm. The motion detection sensor will be activated for the remaining time. This is still not favourable with some residents who prefer the old lights. The Roads Manager has therefore contacted the manufacturers in the UK to ascertain if any further adjustments can be made. The move towards solar lights will in time provide savings which will generate funding to procure additional solar lights to be installed on-Island.
A request for some traffic calming measures to be introduced on Knollcombe’s Road was discussed. It has been brought to the attention of the authorities that motorists have been speeding through this area and residents are expressing their concerns. The Police Officer present was tasked with raising this issue through their ‘Fuzz Buzz’ radio programme and also requested the Police to patrol this area frequently. There is general concern around speeding vehicles Island-wide and the public is reminded to adhere to the speed limit signs posted and remember that the speed limit for all other Island roads is 30mph.
A document on a Proposed Cycling Proficiency Course produced and provided by a member of the public at the request of the Committee was debated. Members were in agreement that the document was well presented and included all the necessary information and safety aspects with regards to maintaining a cycle and cycling on St Helena’s roads. The Course will benefit all Islanders who have an interest in cycling and is intended to improve the safety of cyclists and all road users whilst the Committee contemplates lifting the ban on cycling on the few remaining roads where cycling is currently prohibited.
#StHelena #ENRC #HighwaysAuthority
SHG
28 April 2020