Channel Islands community action

Transport in Jersey is primarily through the motor vehicle. The island, which is the largest of the Channel Islands has 124,737 registered vehicles (2016). The island is committed to combatting climate change, having declared a climate emergency, and policy is focused on reducing dependence on the car. The island has a cycle network and bus service. The primary modes of transport for leaving the island are by air or sea.

Road transport is the primary form of both private and public transport in Jersey.

Vehicles in Jersey drive on the left side of the road. The island has a default speed limit of 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) with slower limits on certain stretches of road, such as 20/30 mph (32/48 km/h) in built up areas and 15 mph (24 km/h) on roads designated as green lanes.

The island is home to longest dual carriageway in the Channel Islands, consisting of Victoria Avenue (A2), and the Esplanade/Route de la Liberation (A1). Roads in Jersey are often named in French or Jèrriais, except in St Helier, where they are often named in English.

Public highways are state-owned and managed by public highways authorities. Main roads are maintained by the Government of Jersey and funded through general taxation. By-roads (chemins vinciaux) are managed by the relevant parish through a Roads Committee. Roads Inspectors are elected to report on roads in their vingtaine.

Roads in Jersey are classified using two systems. The first is the signposted system for classifying main roads, consisting of an "A", "B" and "C" system as used in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. These are often signed on directional signs, however some are inaccurate.

The second is a system used privately by the Government of Jersey to classify both main roads and by-roads. The system consists of Class 1, 2 and 3 roads (main roads) and Class 4 roads (by-roads). Class 1 roads include Victoria Avenue.

A Visite du Branchage is an inspection of roads to ensure property owners have complied with the laws against vegetation encroaching on the highway.

Until the 19th century, Jersey's highway system were narrow and muddy tracks connecting homes and fields to the churches, mills and beaches. Around the turn of the 18th century, the number of roads are described as "[holding] no Proportion with the Bigness [of the island]". The sides of the road, unlike in England had "great Bulwarks of Earth ... from 6 to 8, and sometimes 10 Foot high". At the time there were three types of road: Les Chemins du Roi, which, including the banks, were 16 feet wide; Les Chemins de 8 pieds, which were 12 feet wide; and Les Chemins de 4 pieds, which served only carriages on horseback.

In the early 19th century, the military roads were constructed (on occasion at gunpoint in the face of opposition from landowners) by the governor, General George Don, to link coastal fortifications with St. Helier harbour. These had an unexpected effect on agriculture once peace restored reliable trade links. Farmers in previously isolated valleys were able to swiftly transport crops grown in the island's microclimate to waiting ships and then on to the markets of London and Paris ahead of the competition. In conjunction with the later introduction of steamships and the development of the French and British railway systems, Jersey's agriculture was no longer as isolated as before.

• A1 St Helier to St Aubin road: La Route de la Liberation, Esplanade, La Route de Saint Aubin, La Route de la Haule
• A2 St Helier to Bel Royal road: Victoria Avenue
• A3 St Helier to Gorey road: Don Road, Georgetown Road, Bagot Road, Longueville Road, La Rue à Don
• A4 St Clement to Gorey coast road
• A5 St Clement to Gorey inner road
• A6 St Helier to St Martin road: Mont Millais, Bagatelle Road, La Grande Route de Saint Martin
• A7 St Helier to St Saviour road: La Motte Street, St Saviour's Road, St Saviour's Hill
• A8 St Helier to Trinity road: Trinity Road, Le Mont de la Trinité, La Route de la Trinité, La Rue des Croix, La Route d'Ebenezer
• A9 St Helier to St John road: Queens Road, La Grande Route de Saint Jean, La Route des Issues
• A10 St Lawrence main road: La Grande Route de Saint Laurent
• A11 St Peter's valley road: La Vallée de Saint Pierre
• A12 Beaumont to St Ouen road: La Route de Beaumont, La Grande Route de Saint Pierre, La Grande Route de Saint Ouen
• A13 St Aubin to Red Houses road: La Mont les Vaux, La Grande Route de Saint Brelade, La Route des Genets, La Route Orange
• A14: Rouge Bouillon
• A15: St Clement's Road
• A16: Commercial Buildings
• A17: La Route du Fort

Driving laws in Jersey are the United Kingdom Highway Code, supplemented by the Jersey Highway Code.

Visitors wishing to drive must possess a Certificate of Insurance or an International Green Card, a valid Driving Licence or International Driving Permit (UK International Driving Permits are not valid). Photocopies are not acceptable. A nationality plate must be displayed on the back of visiting vehicles.

It is an offence to hold a mobile phone whilst driving a moving vehicle. It is not an offence to use a hands-free system. Where fitted, all passengers inside a vehicle must wear a seat belt at all times, regardless of whether they are sitting in the front or the rear.

Drink-driving is illegal in Jersey. Police use breathalyser tests during spot checks and a person is guilty if there is over 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 ml breath.

The penalties for drinking and driving in Jersey are up to £2,000 fine or six months in prison for the first offence plus unlimited disqualification of driving licence. It is an offence to drive whilst under the influence of drugs. Since July 2014 it has also been illegal to smoke in any vehicle carrying passengers under the age of 18.

Over the years, a number of traffic calming schemes have been introduced around the island to get motorists to slow down. In 2016, a report in the JEP outlined a number of traffic calming schemes that were under consideration around the island.

Jersey has a shared electric car operator, EVie, that provides islandwide self-service electric car hire.

Jersey has infrastructure dedicated to cyclists. Cycle infrastructure has been improving in the previous decade under the Sustainable Transport Policy.

The best developed cycle route is the route from St Helier to Corbière. The route consists of segregated cycle paths and shared pedestrian-cycle paths, including the St Aubin's Bay promenade and the Railway Walk. The connection from West Park to Havre des Pas was completed an upgraded after a ministerial decision in 2011. A branch of this route connects to St Peter's Village via Les Quennevais.

There is a segregated cycle-pedestrian path along St Peter's Valley, which connects pedestrians and cyclists from the green lane network in St Mary to roads near the St Aubin's Bay Promenade cycle route. It was opened in 2016.

Jersey has a network of signposted cycle routes. There are fifteen routes in total, such as route 1, which forms a loop around the island. Most of the routes are on quieter lanes and dedicated paths, however some of these routes are on busy main road with no dedicated infrastructure.

The Eastern Cycle Route network is a proposed network of cycle-safe routes in the eastern parishes of St Clement and Grouville. The first section from Gorey to La Ville-ès-Renauds in Grouville was opened in 2011.

There is a dedicated network of Green Lanes across the island, which have a 15 mph speed limit and where priority is afforded to cyclists.

Buses started running on the island in the 1920s, and by the 1930s, competition from motor buses had rendered the railways unprofitable, with final closure coming in 1935 after a fire disaster (except for the later German reintroduction of rail during the military occupation).

Buses are operated by CT Plus Jersey, a local subsidiary of Kelsian Group, which was acquired in 2022 following the collapse of HCT Group. The service is currently branded as LibertyBus. All service routes radiate from the Liberation Station in St Helier.

Public parking in Jersey is controlled by time restrictions and payment.

A single-yellow line along the side of the carriageway indicates a "No waiting" restriction. There are no double-yellow lines in Jersey. Parking on yellow lines is liable to a fine.

Some on-street and off-street parking is paid parking. Payments operate using either Paycards or PayByPhone and is indicated with the Paycard Symbol. Paycards are a form of voucher payment. Paycards are purchased from various stores around the island and can be used by scratching the time of arrival on the relevant number of units.

Certain car parks, such as the Waterfront, Sand Street and Ports of Jersey Car Parks use automatic number plate recognition or ticket technology with a pay upon exit system.

Some parking is free to use, however, the parking is time-restricted and a Jersey parking disc must be displayed showing time of arrival.

There are four main residents’ and business parking zones within St Helier.

There is a single airport on the island, Jersey Airport, located in St. Peter. It has one runway and one terminal building and has direct flights throughout the year to many United Kingdom and International destinations, including nine daily flights to London.

Before the present airport opened in 1937, air transport was through seaplanes, which landed at West Park in St Helier. The first aeroplane to land in Jersey was the Sanchez Besa in August 1912. The first passenger flight was recorded as taking place 147 years earlier through air balloon.

Historically there were public railway services in the island, provided by two railway companies:

• The Jersey Railway (closed in 1936)
• The Jersey Eastern Railway (closed in 1929).

The mostly coastal lines operated out of St Helier and ran across the southern part of the island, reaching Gorey Harbour in the east and la Corbière in the west. There were two stations in St Helier: St Helier (Weighbridge) (JR) and St Helier (Snow Hill) (JER).

After closure, most of the infrastructure was removed and little evidence remains of these railways. A small number of former station buildings are still standing, including St Helier Weighbridge, which is now in use as the Liberty Wharf shopping centre, and St Aubin railway station, which is used today as the Parish Hall of Saint Brélade. Part of the former Jersey Railway line from St Aubin to Corbière has been converted into a rail trail for cyclists and walkers.

During the German military occupation 1940–1945, light railways were re-established by the Germans for the purpose of supplying coastal fortifications. A one-metre gauge line was laid down following the route of the former Jersey Railway from Saint Helier to La Corbière, with a branch line connecting the stone quarry at Ronez in Saint John. A 60 cm line ran along the west coast, and another was laid out heading east from Saint Helier to Gorey. The first line was opened in July 1942, the ceremony being disrupted by passively resisting Jersey spectators. The German railway infrastructure was dismantled after the Liberation in 1945.

Two railways operate at the Pallot Heritage Steam Museum; a standard gauge heritage steam railway, and a narrow gauge pleasure line operated by steam-outline diesel motive power.

An important growth for St Helier in the early 19th century was the construction of the harbour. Previously, ships coming into the town had only a small jetty at the site now called the English Harbour and the French Harbour. The Chamber of Commerce urged the States to build a new harbour, but the States refused, so the Chamber took it into their own hands and repaired and upgraded the harbour in 1790. A new breakwater was constructed to shelter the jetty and harbours. In 1814, the merchants constructed the roads now known as Commercial Buildings and Le Quai des Marchands to connect the harbours to the town and in 1832 construction was finished on the Esplanade and its sea wall. A rapid expansion in shipping led the States in 1837 to order the construction of two new piers: the Victoria and Albert Piers.^: 242

Saint Helier Harbour is the island's main port, others include Gorey, Saint Aubin, La Rocque, and Bonne Nuit. It is 33.6 miles (54.1 km) distant from Granville, Manche, 142.9 miles (230.0 km) from Southampton, 131.3 miles (211.3 km) from Poole, and 22.9 miles (36.9 km) from St Malo.

On 20 August 2013, Huelin-Renouf, which had operated a "lift-on lift-off" container service for 80 years between the Port of Southampton and the Port of Jersey, ceased trading. Senator Alan Maclean, a Jersey politician had previously tried to save the 90-odd jobs furnished by the company to no avail. On 20 September, it was announced that Channel Island Lines would continue this service, and would purchase the MV Huelin Dispatch from Associated British Ports who in turn had purchased them from the receiver in the bankruptcy. The new operator was to be funded by Rockayne Limited, a closely held association of Jersey businesspeople. Channel Island Lines closed in 2020.

Condor Ferries operates scheduled freight and passenger services to Poole and Portsmouth in England, St Malo in France and also Guernsey. The company is the main operator for UK sailings for the island, following the closure of British Channel Island Ferries in 1994, and the privatization of Sealink in 1984.

Passenger-only access to France is provided by Manche-Iles Express ferry service, to either Barneville-Carteret, Granville or Dielette.

• Bailiwick of Jersey
• List of shipwrecks in the Channel Islands

Jersey on SABRE Road Wiki

Guernsey is the second largest of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Common Travel Area, allowing passport-free travel to and from the United Kingdom, Jersey, the Isle of Man or Ireland. Travel to the Schengen Area of Europe requires a passport or an EU national identity document and from 2025 entry to the Schengen Area will require compliance with the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) and non EU citizens may need a visa. Entry from the Schengen Area requires a passport, except when a concession is in place for short trips to Guernsey, when an EU ID card is acceptable.

This article includes some references to Alderney, Herm and Sark, which are part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

Traffic in Guernsey drives on the left. Roads are generally narrow, with an all-island speed limit of 35 miles per hour (56 km/h), however lower speed limits apply on certain roads. There are seasonal speed limit changes which sees the speed limit of 35 miles per hour reduced to 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) on some coast roads during the summer months.

Motor tax was abolished in Guernsey from 1 January 2008. Vehicle registration plates in Guernsey carry between one and five numerals only; the international identification sticker/plate is "GBG".

Most road markings are the same as the UK, with the exception of:

• A yellow line across the exit of a minor road means stop and give way to traffic on the major road. A yellow arrow painted on the road gives warning of a yellow stop line ahead.
• Junctions marked filter-in-turn. At these junctions all directions have equal priority.
• Yellow kerb side no stopping lines are single lines and mean you must not stop for any reason, other than to avoid an accident.

Bus services are operated by CT Plus Guernsey on behalf of the Environment Department of the States of Guernsey (the island's government). CT Plus was acquired by Tower Transit, owned by Kelsian Group, in September 2022 following the administration and subsequent collapse of CT Plus's parent company HCT Group. The service is currently branded as Buses.gg, with all service routes operating to and from the Town Terminus Bus Station in St Peter Port.

Vehicles used are based on buses used in the UK but with a slightly narrower construction, to allow them to circulate on the island's narrow roads, with the legal limit of 2.31 meters (7' 6¾"). Several narrower (and shorter) StreetVibe buses arrived from May 2017 onwards.

Most bus fares have a fixed price of £1.50 per journey, however fares also alternate depending on service types. Payments can only be made by contactless or by 'Puffin Pass', these passes come in different varieties covering Pay As You Go which is reduced to 75p, unlimited travel for a day or more, student passes for ages 5-16, concession cards for ages 65+ and family travel passes which are also available. 1.65m journeys were taken in 2016. Bus usage increased year on year reaching a record high of 2 million journeys in 2019. However, usage subsequently fell due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2023, monthly usage was higher than pre-pandemic levels for the first time.

Private hire coaches and coach tours are available primarily from Island Coachways, and other companies.

Cycling is encouraged in Guernsey. Although there are currently a small number of cycle lanes on the island, the Ruettes Tranquilles provide safer and more pleasant cycle-friendly roads.The States of Guernsey provides details of cycling laws and recommendations for safety as well as details of cycle hire businesses.

Cycling is common on Sark due to the island's ban on cars. Bicycles can be hired from any of the local bike hire companies.

Guernsey has a regulated, licensed taxi service based at ranks in central St Peter Port and at Guernsey Airport. Taxis can also be called or phoned.

Accessible taxis capable of transporting a wheelchair passenger and with improved lighting to assist people who may have a visual impairment are available.

Visit Guernsey website has a list of taxi operators.

With effect from 2030 the sale of new combustion engine cars will be banned, this forms part of the net-zero climate change plan.

Guernsey Airport is located 3 miles (5 km) south-west of St Peter Port, the island's capital. It has direct flights throughout the year to many United Kingdom and International destinations.

Alderney Airport has regular scheduled flights to Southampton and Guernsey

Both airports have private aircraft facilities and annual air rallies.

Condor Ferries operate services to Poole and Portsmouth in England, St Malo in France, and to Jersey. Condor Ferries became the main operator to the UK following the closure of British Channel Island Ferries in 1994. Previously Sealink (and its railway ferries predecessors) had been the main operator for many decades. Freight goes on a traditional ferry via Portsmouth.

The French company Manche Îles Express operates a summer passenger-only ferry service between Guernsey and three small ports in Normandy, France: Barneville-Carteret, Diélette and Granville. Not every port is served daily.

The Isle of Sark Shipping Company operates small ferries to Sark. The service takes up to 45 minutes for the 9 miles (14 km) crossing.

The Trident Charter Company operates small ferries to Herm all year round.

The Alderney Ferry Service operates a small ferry between Guernsey and Alderney during summer months.

Channel Seaways operates freight routes between Poole, Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney.

The Alderney Railway provides a rail link of approximately two miles, with a regular timetabled service during the summer months and at seasonal festivals including Easter and Christmas. It is now the only working railway on the Channel Islands to provide a public transport link. It is also one of the oldest railways in the British Isles, dating from 1847, and carried Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as the first 'official' passengers in 1857.

There is also a 7+1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge miniature railway on Alderney, which operates during the summer months.

There are currently no railway services on Guernsey. The Guernsey Railway, which was virtually an electric tramway, and which began working on 20 February 1892, was abandoned on 9 June 1934. It replaced an earlier transport system which was worked by steam, and was named the Guernsey Steam Tramway. The latter began service on 6 June 1879 with six locomotives.

• Bailiwick of Guernsey
• List of shipwrecks in the Channel Islands
• Speed limits in Guernsey

The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, consisting of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm and some smaller islands. Historically, they are the remnants of the Duchy of Normandy. Although they are not part of the United Kingdom, the UK is responsible for the defence and international relations of the islands as it is for the other Crown Dependency, the Isle of Man, and the British Overseas Territories. The Crown Dependencies are neither members of the Commonwealth of Nations, nor part of the European Union. They have a total population of about 171,916, and the bailiwicks' capitals, Saint Helier and Saint Peter Port, have populations of 33,500 and 18,207 respectively.

"Channel Islands" is a geographical term, not a political unit. The two bailiwicks have been administered separately since the late 13th century. Each has its own independent laws, elections, and representative bodies (although in modern times, politicians from the islands' legislatures are in regular contact). Any institution common to both is the exception rather than the rule.