Deputy Le Brun, who won his seat in the States at last month’s by-election and is well known as the founder of the annual Chalk Art Festival at Saumarez Park, said it was to try to make drivers more aware of what is a busy crossing.
‘I had the idea for the School Street at Castel Primary to make things safer for the kids and easier for parents to use Saumarez Park as a drop-off and collection point, instead of everyone getting stuck in traffic in the narrow lanes around the school,’ he said.
‘It also helps reduce pressure on parking at the school, where PE lessons currently have to be cut short so around 80 cars can use the playground for the last 15 minutes of the day.
‘The children using it are loving it. They’re getting a bit more independence, walking with friends and starting and ending the day better. The problem is the last part of the route, where the kids have to cross Route de Cobo. It’s effectively a blind crossing to drivers and it can be difficult to see people waiting to cross, even when you know it’s there. I’ve lived in the area nearly 20 years and I know myself how easy it could be to miss someone waiting there.’
He said he had already approached Traffic and Highways to ask for a formal, raised crossing to be installed to help slow traffic down and make the crossing point safer.
‘In the meantime, I asked the property owners on either side at the exit point if they would mind me chalking some simple pedestrian figures onto the walls to make drivers more aware that there could be children and families waiting to cross.’
He said he had noticed vehicles slowing down when passing, which was exactly the point.
‘Part of doing it publicly was also to get people talking about the issue and encourage others to speak up about how difficult that crossing can be. Sometimes in Guernsey we spend too much time hearing reasons why things can’t be done because of policy or guidelines. We need more common-sense, practical solutions that actually work for our island.’
However, while his artwork had been welcomed by most, it has received some criticism, with one person contacting the Guernsey Press to call it ‘ridiculous’ and some on social media labelling it as ‘vandalism’.
But Deputy Le Brun pointed out that the signs were not permanent.
‘I used a mixture of chalk and water which will wash off with the rain over time,’ he said.