Residents in once-quiet Trinity lane: "We are in a constant battle to get issues resolved" - Jersey Evening Post
by Julien Morel · Jersey Evening PostPosted inNews
Residents in once-quiet Trinity lane: “We are in a constant battle to get issues resolved”
by Julien Morel 6 August 20264 August 2026
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RESIDENTS living along a once-quiet lane in Trinity which has become the main northbound diversion route around roadworks at nearby Sion say they feel badly let down by the government.
The inhabitants of Rue du Douet, which runs parallel to St John’s Main Road between Rue Becquet Vincent and Rue des Hougettes, say that their suggestions to slow down vehicles have gone unheeded, and they have endured months of noise and near-misses from the heavy traffic going past their homes.
The government has said that it understands their concerns and is currently monitoring traffic up the lane once again to see if current measures in place are effective.
A number of people living nearby contacted the JEP after reading about the travails of people living near a construction site in St Peter, where a giant sewage tank is currently being dug. There, residents told the newspaper last week that they “were at boiling point” and “had lost trust” in the government.
Shirley Boschat, who lives in Rue du Douet, said: “Many of those concerns and issues raised by St Peter residents resonate closely with ours, including the considerable noise and disturbance and the constant battle with the government to be heard and to get issues resolved.”
Neighbour Kevin Faulkner added: “We have heavy, often speeding traffic and the noise is horrendous. I suspect that the pollution is worse than normal and the road surface is quickly decaying.
“We’ve endured it for seven months but we’re speaking out now because we have been trying to engage with ministers through emails and calls, but we’re just not getting any response.”
Rue du Douet is currently a one-way, 20mph diversion due to the government overseeing a major upgrade of the sewer network in the north of the Island. The project, which began last November, is due to finish next April.
The current phase – through Sion – began in January and is due to finish mid-October.
Mrs Boschat said: “We absolutely understand the needs for drains to be updated so that new houses can be built – and using this road is logical because it is the only one that gets you back to Sion, and the businesses there. We recognise that this is a good diversion; however, with that comes responsibility.
“This has always been a quiet country lane, and we would like to see more enforcement of the 20mph limit. We did also ask for a trial of a speed bumps but were told it might damage cars. But surely that would only happen if they were speeding.
“We also have pedestrians walking down the road and cyclists riding against the flow of traffic because the cycle signs haven’t changed. It is a narrow lane, which currently is the main thoroughfare for buses, HGVs and tractors pulling huge machinery.
“This weekend, the lane was heaving with traffic, possibly due to the new store opening by Haute Croix; we have suggested solutions but all we hear are excuses.”
Mrs Boschat’s husband Denzil added: “The government rarely respond and, if they do, we just get the same verbiage, and they won’t accept our word on just how bad things are.
“They did put a speed-monitoring machine at the top of the road and told us that 99% of traffic was doing less than 25mph but I worked out that, over the four-month period, that was still 2,500 vehicles. They did say they would give us more data but never did.
“It is an insult to us that they do not take our word for it.”
Mrs Boschat said that some of the ‘liquid waste capital delivery team’ at Infrastructure had come to visit the lane in March.
She said: “They were very pleasant and understanding but seeing the road for themselves, they seemed horrified by the amount and speed of traffic. That resulted in us getting two signs, including a ‘drive slow’ sign from the parish.”
The residents said that their concerns seem to have fallen between two stools, with the project run by the government but the road managed by the parish. However, they recognised that Trinity had limited resources, and its police force were volunteers.
“Who is accountable for this? We’re not asking to stop the traffic; we’re just asking someone to control it,” said Mrs Boschat. “We’ve sent endless emails which suggest some pretty simple suggestions, but they just seem to fall on deaf ears.”
As well as temporary speed bumps, those proposals have included speed checks outside their homes and speed awareness signs.
The residents said that they had been told that the lane was too narrow for speed checks, with no space to pull over vehicles, nor was it straight enough to get a clear reading. They had also been informed that a speed awareness sensor was too expensive to install, although the parish have now said it will install one.
Mrs Boschat said: “Rue du Douet has become a ‘rat run’ with no thought for the effect it is having on the people who live here, and the stress and anxiety it causes, and the damage and harm caused to the environment.
“We are unable to enjoy our homes and gardens, or walk, jog or cycle along the road safely, and it is especially dangerous for the elderly, families with children and dog walkers with several near misses reported. It is also extremely difficult just to access or exit our homes.
“We have had copious email correspondence, frequent phone calls and have met in person to raise our concerns and request help, with very slow response or in some case no response at all, and very little has been achieved.
“Instead, we have largely been faced with prevarication, delays, ludicrous excuses and a general apathy and reluctance to put any traffic calming measures in place or to accept any responsibility and accountability for this failure to put adequate road safety measures in place from the start.”
In response, the Infrastructure Department said in a statement: “We understand residents’ concerns regarding vehicle speeds on the diversion route along Rue du Douet.
“A vehicle speed monitoring survey was undertaken in March 2026, and the results were shared with the Parish of Trinity and the Honorary Police.
“The monitoring indicated that the majority of drivers were complying with the temporary 20 mph speed limit, and the findings did not identify a need for additional traffic-calming measures at that time.”
It added: “A further vehicle speed survey is currently underway to assess whether traffic conditions have changed and to evaluate the effectiveness of the current traffic management arrangements.
“The parish is also planning to install a temporary vehicle-activated speed indicator sign to help encourage drivers to remain within the speed limit.
“The project team will continue to work with the parish and the Honorary Police to review the results of the latest survey and determine whether any further measures may be required.”
Also responding to the residents’ concerns, newly installed Trinity Constable Andy Howell said: “I sympathise completely with the residents of Rue du Douet and I really understand how hard it is for them when a previously peaceful and tranquil parish lane is now taking all the northbound St John’s Main Road traffic.
“I met officials undertaking the work last Wednesday and let them know that our parishioners are really unhappy because of the prolonged road works.
“Unfortunately, there is no reasonable alternative route as the businesses along, and close to, the St John’s main road also need customers.”
She added: “The situation is not ideal for anyone, but the contractors are undertaking this essential and difficult task as quickly and efficiently as they can.
“We have erected a post in Rue du Douet and will get the ‘smiley face’ put on it as soon as one of our volunteers, who is able to calibrate the equipment, returns from holiday.
“I have asked my Honorary officers to include the lane whenever they go out on patrol. They have also been there with speed guns recently. We are doing as much as we can.
“Trinity is really taking a hammering with a lot of diverted traffic going through the parish, and many of our byroads are showing signs of wear. But equally we understand the need for this work.”
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