Red Walking Routes Marked Around School

Red Safety Paths Painted Near Jersey School to Protect Pedestrians

Bright red walkways have been painted along two country lanes near Grouville School in Jersey in a bid to improve pedestrian safety.

The new pathways were added to La Croix and La Rue de la Haye des Puits following a 2022 Government of Jersey report that called for enhanced traffic safety measures around the school, including painted pedestrian zones.

The initiative, led by Grouville Constable Mark Labey, was completed over the recent half-term break. Labey acknowledged the bold colour choice might be "controversial" but defended it as a necessary step: “We considered other colours, but red was chosen because it’s universally associated with danger,” he said.

One of the roads features a sharp blind bend, and both lanes are known to get especially busy during school drop-off and pick-up times. Labey cited three pedestrian fatalities in the parish during his time in office as a key motivation for taking action.

“I’m not going to ignore that. If this measure prevents even one injury, it’s worth every penny,” he said, adding that the school has responded positively to the changes.

While Labey admitted the colour may appear “slightly too bold” initially, he expects the brightness to fade over time, making the paths less visually striking but still effective.

“I’m very confident it will work,” he said.