Jersey Transportation

The States of Jersey's have been considering changing the island's transportation system in a key way over the last few days. They're planning on building some sort of public transport network, such as a railway or guided bus lane.

For a change, I actually support these plans. Almost ten thousand people make the journey from the west side of the island into town every morning between 8 and 9. A considerable portion of this journey is spent almost stationary on a single lane road with very little traffic in the reverse direction. And despite it only being a six mile journey, it isn't uncommon to be stuck in traffic for above an hour if you leave at the "wrong" time. Google Maps estimates that the trip should only take fourteen minutes. No-one wants to be stuck in rush hour traffic. Not only is it horribly boring, you have to pay attention rather than just turn off and maybe have a nap. Even once you're out of the fire it's into the frying pan because you have to find parking, or so you hope. That being the case, surely everyone should take the bus?

Unfortunately, our bus service isn't sufficient for this. Last statistics I read, our bus service was only capable of carrying just under one thousand people into town in the morning. The problem is most evident when you decide to try and catch the bus only to find three or four just drive past -- by which time you're late for work, school or wherever you were trying to get to. Even assuming you dont walk under any ladders, kill all the black cats you see and don't step on the cracks in the pavement, and somehow manage to catch one of these elusive beasts, there's still no garauntee you'll get to your destination in time. This is because our busses all take the most traffic-laden paths through the island. It's not even cheap. It costs £1.50 each way, and even more if you want to get a bus from town to somewhere else in the island. It's cheaper in petrol and parking to carpool than it is to individually catch the bus, and if you're lucky enough to have a free parking space, it's cheaper and quicker to just drive in. In our eco-concerned world, what can we do to make public transport a more attractive prospect?

Firstly, and most obviously, have a higher capacity. Secondly, make it cheaper. Lastly, make them quicker. The first is simple to solve, at least on paper. Run more busses or a larger number of trains on a railway. The second is just a matter of accountancy. The latter one comes for free if you decide to create a railway, but it's more difficult for busses, who currently share the same lanes as cars. So far it seems like a railway is ahead, but it might cost millions and might take as long as five years to implement, but an improved bus system could be implemented in a few months for next to nothing in comparison.

Obviously to decide what to do, we need to work out where our priorities lie. Capacity is simply a necessity, without which the service won't thrive. Cost is supposedly an important factor, especially with increasing fuel prices. However, few people carpool, and many people pay for parking since it's more convenient than getting the bus or parking for free a couple of miles away and walking or cycling the rest. That leaves speed. Personally speaking, how long the journey takes is far more important to me than a few quid. I'd love to be able to shed the hassle of a car were it not for those all important 30 minutes of extra sleep I get by driving. Potentially that 30 minutes could mean the difference between performing optimally, getting higher grades in an exam, and getting a job that pays more quids per day. The same holds for people working.

I've missed one thing, though: comfort. Comfort is also an important consideration. Consider Bill Someone, who gets up at 8:00, walks five meters from their door to their comfortable, climate controlled Lexus and rolls along the country roads, cruise control on. Now consider Bob Anyone who gets up at 7:15 to weather the wind and rain for 20 minutes waiting for a bus. When it finally arrives, it's full of people with coughs and colds from standing in the rain all week, and the bus' temperature alternates between too cold and too hot. When he finally gets to the station, he has to dash half way across town in five minutes because the bus was held up. Which one is going to perform better at work? Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating slightly. I said above that driving during the west to east rush hour could be an aggravating process, but it's a damn sight better than getting the bus.

So, price be damned, and Connex: Stop advertising that it's cheaper to take the bus. People are probably going to take the most comfortable, quickest transporation they can get their hands on. Our main choices are an improved bus service and a train service. My say: do both. The further we can distance ourselves from private transport, the better it is on the environment and the economy. Create a prioritised bus lane now, build a railway over the next few years. Just work out what people want; do surveys and research, but I strongly suspect that what people want is speed and comfort, so long as the price is competitive with driving in. A well tuned bus service could get people between the west and town in under 20 minutes, and be just as comfortable as a car, if not moreso. A train would be good, but it won't solve all our problems. We still need a good bus service.