Other Business

Bobby
Recycled topics.........again.

Alex
What is the point?I can't see any difference between this system and the current bus service. It looks like a huge waste of money to me

odian samson
great idea! sooner the better.

Barry Wilson
Far too sensible for the States ever to approve any scheme of this nature!

Kim
Jersey should start investing in other things like making town more attractive etc

Nick
Clare's comment way down there re losing pedestrian and cycle track - well put!

Nick
Sack Connex, get an organised transport operator in and we won't need this "light railway". It's only going to run from St Aubin to St Helier so how would it benefit the rest of the island? Positively ridiculous suggestion!

odian samson
it would be really great to have some form of rail transport from st. aubin's to town. if there was a transport running every 20 mins just like the buses did years ago then surely that would take cars off the roads, only if the fare was cheap, non profit making, just running costs.

Sheepy
Could be a nice idea.Not sure it would benefit Tourism though?!

Allan
Just like the bridge it isn't going to happen, it could cost £30m to £50m a mile, that would buy a lot of buses. Let's have an annual road tax to penalise wide/large-engined cars, then increase fuel tax to the same level as the UK and watch the traffic disappear off the roads!

Sinéad Agnew
Great idea and the sooner it happens the better.

scott
Barry, I agree the traffic is no where as bad during the school holidays. If all the school pupils were taken to school but bus, instead of mummy driving them right to their desks, it would free up the roads. Have various pick/drop up/off points around the island. It's a very shout

928 Stowe
This has potential to be an excellent solution to the traffic problems at peak times. Parking would be an issue but there are many, many people making the trip from St Aubin to St Helier using their cars! Why could this not be extended further along the railway walk to Quennevais which would increase the number of potential travellers without the need to commute to St Aubin. That alone must take a large % of the vehicles off the road. There are too many negative people in Jersey with nothing to do but find fault in new ideas the States bring forward. Just look at the comments below. Let's give them a chance and this would benefit the island and TOURISM!

Richard Thacker
Joint venture re States/private . Would like to see overhead rail, St Helier to Airport, via St Aubin. This appears to be possible at zoos and leisure parks and suggests cost not prohibitive , would be "off road" also

John N
I think some of you have slightly missed the point. This is not a question about the quality of the bus service - which is very good but obviously can't suit everybody. Its a question about a light railway!

Buzz Le cornu
When are we sending the first jersey astronaut to the moon? This has about as much chance as happening as sark winning the muratti. All talk no action, and people writing waste of time letters to the JEP bacuase they are so bored with their lives and complain about anything. OOOh that big wheel is blocking the view from my £300,000 pigeon hut.

J C BREWER north dorset
it would be another atraction for the island visiters GOOD

Donald Filleul
Where do you park your car - which you had to use to reach the station?In the 19th and early 20th centuries folk were used to walking long distances to the train. No way would they do that now.It's a non starter.

Barry
A major factor in the traffic problem in Jersey is the school run ! a solution needs to be put in place that addresses that.

Mike
Great idea. The tram/monorail/whatever could run across the new bridge to France and this could then all be paid for by the EU (after they have funded the Deposit Protection Scheme)The trams could use one of the new technology fuels (eg hot air).If the EU doesn't cough up then the introduction of negative tax allowances could be introduced under a new strategy "20% means 25% plus GST"

Phil
Lets not replace the Waterfront car park or Gas place car park and leave Minden Place as it is, increase the number of buses and see a park and ride from Beaumont and Maufant. Ramp parking charges in all car parks, 50p = 1 hour, £1.50 = 2 hours, £3 = 3 hours, £6 = 4 hours, £10 = 5 hours and £15 for 6+ hours. Easy, less traffic, more shopping places, no train!

Lucy
I am fed up with the fact that I have lived here a while and have NEVER been able to use the buses into St Helier. They run at useless times, and don't cover some basic areas of the island. I think smaller buses and more of them.

John Bevis
This would be a great idea if and only if there were adequate car parking at St.Aubin and along the route.

Mr Sensible
why bother all we need is a bus from st helier that runs straight down victoria avenue then up beaumont hill via the airport up to red houses then on to St Aubin and back to town, every 15 mins for £1:00, not going through any small country lanes or going via the st Aubins inner road, but still keep the exsisting services, that run perhaps the service i suggest runs between 7am and 9am and 4 30 pm till 6.30 pm. Personally i use my cycle from st brelade to town and feel the time has come to upgrade the cycle track, especially after the JEC have recently dug it up at left it in a mess

MC
ABout time, there is such bad connections by public transport between town/St Aubins that this would take away a lot of pressure from the 'bus' company.

mad max
donkey rides across the beach!hot air balloons!a giant ski slope! lest all keeping talking the most utter rubbish whilst the rest of the planet is spinning off its axis!

Jono
Great idea but instead of placing it on the roads keep it on the cycle track yes it might get in the way of a few cyclists and pedestrians but look how well it works in amsterdam and most over european cities, this had deffinatly got my head nodding in agreement... Also the way we are going we will need it alot sooner then 5 years comming pull the lead out.

Sean
Oh silly people get a bike and leave the car, Jersey is so small and you can get from A to B in no time

M
Good idea, but we still need better transport for the outlying parishes. There is only one bus in the morning through St. Peter's Valley, for instance. There should be more focus on improving transport for the WHOLE island.

Razz
Is there an election coming or something?

John N
I think that it is a good idea - especially if it were developed into a tram route which now-a-days are relatively environmentally friendly compared to trains and a lot cheaper to run and keep maintained. I notice a few of you have said that all Connex need to do is buy more buses. Im sorry but that won't be happening as the States decide how many bus routes and journeys there are and Connex are doing as much as they can - and in my opinion a good job. What you could do however is get the Connex tram system over and run that in conjunction with the bus system, which would probably be more financially beneficial to the Island, as you would not be incorporating another company and getting completely new management staff.

However on an Island 9x5 there are some practicality issues. A tram or a train would take up a lot of space and i don't know if there is that space available without getting rid of things like the railway walk (which you wouldn't have had there not been a railway in the first place, or the front which is home to cyclists, pedestrians, petit train, dogwalkers and so on!In my opinion it is a good idea however if it were done i feel a lot of people will complain about it because it could disrupt many things - but hey live with it!!!

Chris and Vic Charman
We are in favour of some sort of public transport in this vein. What about a monorail aka Singapore/Sentosa Island?

Kevin
Great Idea dont talk about it,get on with it and do it!

Paul
Dee, I was at Hautlieu 20 years ago too - my dissertation was on Jersey traffic! No tram ideas in it though (dang!), my visionn was more "round the island super high speed boats"... ah, lost youth.The Tram would need to go further than just Bel Royal or St. Aubins to be really effective though.

Clare
Before turning Jersey into Blackpool with seaside trams and it's big wheel, consider this. A tramway will mean losing the bike and pedestrian path along the avenue, which is the truly green way of getting to town! Who is going to cross the avenue through the traffic, for example at First Tower, when it's windy and rainy instead of waiting for a bus right on the doorstep? Public transport needs to be accesible from where the public live. Improve the cuurent bus service frequency, price and comfort, and use green enrgy for fuel. This will be the greener option. Consider the carbon footprint of construction of a tramway, bringing the material and specialist workforce to the island. Consider the safety of the beachgoers trying to gain access to the beach or those taking a seaside stroll. Consider the picture postcard views ruined by large vehicles.Mine's a no vote.

steve
Now we know why the western fire station must close its needed for a train station not the saving of £15000 as we were told

Ed
If there was some kind of transport that didn't use the road on St Aubin through to St Helier. if anyone ever regularly drives down the coast road from St Aubins to the start of the avenue going east, you can expect on a bad day to be in traffic from around Peterborough garage to Falles garage just before the avenue for a stupidly long time. if the public realised that they could get to and from in a quarter of the time, they would probably start using it and the traffic would go down. i think it's a good idea, maybe a little expensive.

Brands
Great idea and great location. It certainly looks more convincing than the Petite Train...

Tracey Patterson
Absoltutely! Jersey needs the Oyster Card system we have here. The idea of a light railway, tram way or dedicated bus way to get people out of their cars and on to public transport is the best news I've heard regarding public transport in Jersey! Although I currently a resident here in North London. As a car driver, I never, ever use the car to venture into London or even my surrounding areas - I use my Oyster Card for Buses, Tube & Trains and Trams. Having lived twice in Jersey and return frequently I am so dissappointed of the dreadful number of cars. Please be one of the first members of Great Britain to do something really positive to get us out of our cars! Think too of the less drink-driving incidents too!

Carl
The old railways died out when buses took over.'Nuff said.

A Walker
What Jersey needs is a free bus service, a fleet of small mini buses that run 24/7 around the island on a jump off jump on basis. Sponsored by the States with revenue from advertising on the vehicles would make the service relatively cheap to run. An intergated transport system with every passenger encouraged to make a voluntary contribution in a drop box on board. We are obsesssed with profit in the island, transport could and should be a non profit making service. People would use it and less vehicles would be used on the roads. A win, win situation i believe.

Peter le Gallais
Why have a tram when a purple marrow railway bus would be better

Chris
A one way tram system to and from town?It would have to meet everyones time to get home as well wouldn't it? (Take the bus you say? So why have a tram at all!)To be honest I think a lot of the reasons we seem to all have cars on such a small island is the convenience of getting somewhere when you want not when the public transport system allows you to (If they are ever on time!!)

Steve
What we need are more bus drivers and more of the current buses, running a more regular and extended timetable. There is not just a capital cost of a tram: there is the cost of drivers, etc. Please, just employ more bus drivers. If it's that much of a problem getting 'em, give 'em a J Cat.Hasn't the "track" just got covered in rubble and seawater, apparently caused by rising sea levels?

joker
Surely it would be a lot cheaper, quicker and easier to just improve the current bus system. Connex or whoever has the tender could buy a few more buses (may be electric ones) and the avenue could be widened to cater for a bus lane?This option would have much less capital outlay, less maintenance, less complicated - making it easier for the States to agree and a lot quicker to build.

Michelle
The idea is all well and good but where will it go?Along the front - so does that mean we lose the pedestrian/cycle route or do they get rid of even more car parks in the Island? Will we lose the railway walk for pedestrians and cyclists too? Plus i'm sure they did a trial park and ride at goose green a while ago which was useless as the traffic jam stems from the roundabout at the bottom of beaumont and you end up adding to the jam. Surely a transport hub will do the same.

Carl
It's only as green as the way the electricty is generated in the first place. It would be orders of magnitude cheaper to just run buses on biofuels (or greener options) instead. But seeing as bus stops are a lot closer to most people's homes than this tram line will be, I can't see it being any more popular than the present buses. If people are prepared to pay for their own personal transport, why not let them? What's wrong with electric cars?

Phil
Great. No extra parking at St.Aubins needed, have a park and train at Beaumont or near the Airport. No sunkern roads or car parks, no more town car parks, less cars on the road. Go the whole hog and have a Lounguville, St.Clements and Five oaks shuttle bus with park and ride as well.

Cyril George
Excellent modern vision... To build either a tram system or more likely a guided bus way on the island is a great idea.It is safe,green,regulate the island car limitation and economy worth.It can carry new sewage system , hold fiber optics and bring new customers to other places than st Hélier.

AS for the budget: Try the mix combination fundings from private sectors (banks for instance-offering cheap tickets for staffs if they leave their cars home...)and tourism board (replacement of car extra fee ferry journey by a getaway transport card...ectIt also a fantastic mobile ads support.

As for the grocery shoppers and late party goers:Choose safe home delivery by electrical vehicles ..Lets make this island beautiful ,more attractive for the young and local businesses.

For information: Check S'pore transport system or have a look in neigbouring cities like Nantes or La Rochelle to see how it works. Roll on Jerri !!

John
The reintroduction of a tram/train on the old westrn railway line has a lot of merit. I remember when I came to Jersey 28 years ago politicians were going to sort out the traffic mess!!!What has happened since then? nothing excetp turning the motorist into a cash cow with parking fees and fines, speeding tkts and fuel duty bled from the motorist daily

Jezza
Only problem is that it would no doubt raise the spectre of reclamation again at St.Aubin for all the necessary parking that would be required. Rather that than spending millions on sinking the road in town though. Maybe this is one plan that we could actually get right.

Dee
I can remember discussing this whilst at Hautlieu... about 20 years ago! Did somebody with sense actually get voted in and throw in an idea?!

Bez, happy monday's
Alrraaaaaaaaaaat, you've only gota look at manchestaaaar/nottingham to see how great these things work. I used to come out of the Hacienda boxed and straight onto a tram. It's boss. I'm off to dance like a f****** nuttaaarrr now. Safe. Fink about it, bez idea

Ryan (Host)
Tracy - ahh you noticed :) I created that mock about four years ago when this idea was first floated and at the time our image library was pretty small - that background was the easiers to animate.

I should really do a new version but for a small picture in the middle of an article - it's not really worth it.

Ashley F
Dear god! An idea that actually sounds pretty good. Only trouble is that it could well end up not being used for the winter. perhaps tie it in with a park and ride out west.

Tracy
just wondering why your pictures of the tram mockup shows St Ouens bay behind it

Paul
Brilliant idea, long overdue. Surely a much better way to spend money than the godawful Waterfront plans - more roads? Further underground? Longer? Give us a break, why do Jersey planners not catch up with Uk ideas that realized years ago more and more roads don't work?Why not have a tram system round the whole island? Imagine it going up the old railway walk, though I expect hysterical NIMBY objections to that thought...