INCREASED traffic, roadworks and buses will be on the minds of parents and children as students return to school today.
As the new term begins, students are being encouraged to sign up for a £20 unlimited bus pass and drivers travelling through the countryside parishes are being reminded of roadworks in St John which will be undertaken throughout September.
There are currently 4,561 Islanders signed up to LibertyBus’s Avanchi18 trial scheme, which gives card holders, who must be 18 or younger, unlimited annual travel around Jersey for £20.
The trial was launched in March, following a successful amendment to the Government Plan brought by St Helier Deputy Rob Ward.
Kevin Hart, director of LibertyBus, said he expected the company to be ‘inundated’ with applications as students begin the autumn term.
‘It [4,561] is a good figure but obviously if more are able to sign up then they should go for it.
‘If we want to achieve carbon neutrality then we need to get parents out of their cars driving their kids around, and get them onto buses,’ he added.
Deputy Ward said he was ‘really pleased’ with the initial uptake and encouraged those who had not yet signed up to do so.
‘I think it’s a fantastic scheme and it is making a difference.
‘And at a time when we are addressing the cost of living this is a way for families to save money on bus travel,’ he added.
Those travelling to school via St John or St Mary, or on the number 5 and 7 bus routes, can expect diversions throughout the month.
Resurfacing is being undertaken along Route de St Jean and La Verte Rue and is expected to last until 30 September.
Bus stops at Rue du Cerf, Timaru Farm, and St John’s Cemetery will not be in operation.
The project is operational from 7.30am until 10pm Monday to Thursday and between 7.30am and 6pm on Fridays.
Work will be completed in four stages and begins with resurfacing along Route de St Jean, between St John’s Parish Church and St John’s Cemetery. The final stage will run from 21 to 30 September, finishing just east of the junction with Rue es Abbés.
As part of the scheme, the road will be closed for the duration of the works and a number of diversions will be in place.
The States police has reminded Islanders to allow extra time for their journey.
For more information visit the travel and transport section on gov.je.
