Millennium Town Park - road changes are a “complete joke.”

Monday 15 August 2016

Road changes at a town centre park, scene of the death of a three-year -old toddler in June, have been branded a “complete joke.”

Campaigner Nicola McAteer said last week’s St Helier Parish meeting, which met to discuss road safety alterations, have “entirely failed in their first duty - to protect the public and especially children.”

Drivers who ignore an ‘access to premise only’ sign at Tunnel Street, next to the Millennium Town Park, have been warned they will find themselves in court.

Seven weeks ago it was there that toddler Clinton Pringle was hit by a van, dying of his injuries three days later. 

St Helier Honorary Police also say they are stepping up checks in the Tunnel Street area adjacent to the Millennium Town Park and anyone found disobeying the rules will be prosecuted.

Following the accident extra signs were put up warning drivers and pedestrians to take care and the authorities say this has strengthened compliance with the existing traffic restrictions, which were put in place at the time of the creation of the park.

But campaigner Mrs McAteer, a friend of the Pringle family, says the parish meeting has “singularly failed to address the issues.”

She said: “The meeting said the addition road signs have been sufficient to improve the situation but that is just nonsense. 

“I have been down there to the park area myself in a 20-minute period I saw two people narrowly avoid an accident in Tunnel Street and Gas Place. As for the road signs proving to be a deterrent, I saw no evidence of that with my own two eyes. Drivers are still using the road as a cut through and I’m disgusted it is still being allowed, within weeks of the death of a little boy at the same scene. 

“I’m satisfied there is an expert report pending, but I’m very upset and so is everyone I speak to because it is the duty of these people to protect the public and indeed to listen to the public. I don’t feel we are being listened to, only fobbed off with a couple of road signs. 

“The technology is there. If the road is for access only then why not have a barrier there and drivers can use a PIN number to gain access. That seems entirely sensible to me. I’m flabbergasted the meeting would think these minor changes are sufficient. They are not.” 

Last week the Parish of St Helier, the States of Jersey Police, and the Department for Infrastructure met to review the situation.