West of Town Bus Advantage Scheme

Produced by the Freedom of Information office
Authored by Infrastructure and Environment and published on 06 November 2025.
Prepared internally, no external costs.

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Request 754585408  

This request relates to the West Of Town Bus Advantage Scheme

Previously, a sign was erected on the site which stated: "Data shows recent average morning peak journey time between the Bus Station and West Park Slipway of 4 minutes 10 seconds and an average afternoon peak journey time of 3 minutes 56 seconds but with considerable variation during other periods due to the impact of traffic congestion"

1) Please publish full details on this Dataset including who conducted the survey, when, how, methodology, and the full raw data that was collected, including the documentation/methodology that allowed the concluded statements of 4min10sec/3min56sec

Minister for Infrastructure Constable Andy Jehan said the scheme would give west-bound buses " a much quicker route", reduce congestion at Castle Street roundabout and improve the area with more greenery, a bus shelter and benches. Liberty Bus director Kevin Hart said the Western Bus Gate was expected to take up to five minutes off journeys at peak times.

2) Define "much quicker" and the calculations used to determine this statement. Show the calculations and workings. Ensure waiting time for red-light phasing, and the additional drop-off/collection of passengers from teh

3) How would this reduce congestion, if all it does is remove a handful of buses? How will this reduction in congestion measured? is there data on how much congestion is caused by busses now so that a definitive statement that removing the busses will lead to reduction in congestion? Will the reduction be measured?

4) How can such a scheme take "5 mins" off a journey, when the governments own data states that it only takes 4min10sec on average at peak times to get from Bus Station to West Park Slipway.

5) What is the estimated cost of implementing this "West Of Town Bus Advantage Scheme" and how will it be funded?

6) Why will this tiny patch of land require from October 2025 to August 2026 to be delivered - that is almost a whole year?

7) The IHE Transport states that this scheme has been subject to an independent Road Safety Audit Stage 1, 2 and 3 - please provide those reports including which "independent" body conducted them

10) Planning conditions involve a 10 year management plan for the area - what is the cost of maintaining this area for the next 10 years? Has this been budgeted for? and who is paying for it from which budget? And who is responsible for managing and implementing this plan?

11) If its only going to save 2 mins by going this route, that 2 mins is going to be lost by the setting down and picking up of passengers from the new bus stop, and the waiting at the red light phase to cross the 9 lanes of traffic (causing more congestion as 9 lanes of traffic will all be held for longer duration of time at red lights!) - Provide the calculations and justification for the published statement that "This shortened bus route would reduce the journey time from the Bus Station to West Park by approximately 2 minutes" 

Response 

1,2 and 11

The requested information is shown in the attached technical note. 

Freedom of Information response 754585408 - Attachment.pdf​

The appendices referenced in Technical Note 2 are not held, therefore Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. 

Personal information within the documents has been redacted in accordance with Article 25 (Personal Information) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. 

3 and 4

The Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 gives a right to request information that is held in recorded form, unless exempt. 

This part of the request poses questions rather than seeking information held in a recorded form, therefore, Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.

However, some of the related data held is shown in the technical note referenced in response to questions 1 and 2.

5
The estimated construction cost is £1.5 million, which includes the public realm and active travel improvements and the bus advantage running lane element. 
It is co-funded from Public Realm Budget, Carbon Neutral Fund and planning obligation agreement contributions. 

6

The construction of the project has been tendered through the Government of Jersey's Civil Engineering Works Procurement Contract. This was a competitive tender, and the construction programme was part of the tender submission. The dates are in accordance with the winning contractor's tendered programme. 

7

The Road Safety Audit (RSA) was carried out by WSP.

The requested RSA is exempt under Article 35 (Formulation and development of policies) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 as this project currently remains policy under development. 

Release of the information at this stage would likely generate misinformed debate. This could affect the ability of officials to consider and develop policy away from external pressures, and to advise Ministers appropriately. 

Article 35 is a qualified exemption; therefore, a public interest test has been applied and is shown at the end of this response. 

10

The Scheduled Public Authority (SPA) have not created a specific budget for the referenced area as it will be included in the general I&E maintenance budget, therefore Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.
Infrastructure and Environment (I&E) are responsible for managing and implementing this plan and the costs will be budgeted from the general I&E budget. 

Articles applied 

Article 25 - Personal information 

(1)     Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018.

(2)     Information is absolutely exempt information if –

(a)     it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018; and

(b)     its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law. 

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority"

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a)     it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b)     it is held by another person on behalf of the authority. 

Article 35 - Formulation and development of policies 

Information is qualified exempt information if it relates to the formulation or development of any proposed policy by a public authority. 

Public Interest Test 

The following considerations were taken into account: 

Public interest considerations favouring disclosure 

• Disclosure of the information would support transparency and promote accountability to the general public, providing confirmation that the necessary discussions have taken place.
   
• Disclosure to the public fulfils an educative role about the early stages in policy development and illustrates how the department engages with parties for this purpose.  
  

​Public interest considerations favouring withholding the information

• In order to best develop policy and provide advice to Ministers, officials need a safe space in which free and frank discussion can take place – discussion of how documentation is presented and provided is considered as integral to policy development as iterations of documents are demonstrative of the policy development process.
   
• The need for this safe space is considered at its greatest during the live stages of a policy.
   
• Release of the information at this stage might generate misinformed debate in. This would affect the ability of officials to consider and develop policy away from external pressures, and to advise Ministers appropriately.
  

• Premature disclosure of this information may limit the willingness of parties to provide their honest views and feedback. This would hamper and harm the policy–making process not only in relation to this subject area but in respect of future policy development across wider departmental business. 
  

Considering all considerations above, while transparency is important, the public interest in disclosure must be weighed against potential harm caused by distress or misinformation. 

It should also be noted that once a policy is formulated and published, the public interest in withholding information relating to its formulation is diminished, however, the use of the exemption can be supported if it preserves sufficient freedom during the policy formulation phase to explore options without that process being hampered by some expectation of future publication. 

The SPA has concluded that, on balance, the risk of causing concerns or spreading misinformation, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the benefits disclosing the information.