ANYONE landing in the Island from Mars in the past fortnight could be forgiven for thinking that they had come to a fearful place indeed.

Muggings, stabbings, courtroom trials of child molesters, rapists and drug dealers, policemen accused of dishonesty  – could there be a more corrupt and frightful den of iniquity than Jersey?

At the other end of the scale, one politician is calling for the speed limit in green lanes to be increased from 15 miles an hour to 20 miles an hour.

On this subject, I happen to disagree with Deputy Daniel Wimberley. I don’t know whether he lives in a green lane, but I do know that for many years he has run a cycle tour company. So I find it surprising that he has chosen to take the part of the motorist.

Green lanes are not for car drivers. They were introduced for the convenience and safety of walkers and cyclists, so that we could meander unmolested in quiet roads without fear that some road hog would try to push us into the nearest hedge or mow us down. The result of the 15 mph limit is that green lanes remain largely unused, except for those who have no option.

This is a singular blessing which I, for one, would hate to see eroded. Cycle tourism may be a small part of what Jersey has to offer the visitor, but every little helps. Certainly for most of us on two wheels the major roads are now so clogged and so dangerous that it is probably safer not to try.

In fact, I would actually like to see the green lane network extended, so that one parish network runs easily into the next. It would complement the existing cycle trails – which have proved their worth, despite the initial resista nce when the small blue signs were first introduced – and provide more options for those of us who like travelling at less than 15 miles an hour.

Of course it would mean getting the 12 parish Constables to agree on something, which has been nigh impossible for the past 15 years at least. You only have to look at the way the Sunday trading law is applied within various parish borders to begin to despair of unity.

If the speed limit is increased to 20 mph, it will merely encourage car drivers to use the lanes that they currently avoid and turn the whole Island into a massive rat run of noisy, smelly four-wheeled monsters.

No thanks. If you can’t drive as slowly as 15 mph, tough. Find another route that suits you better.
And by the way, 40 mph – or whatever the maximum happens to be – is not compulsory. It is a choice. If legally entitled road users want to drive at 39.5 mph they should not have to put up with the car behind beeping and snorting and shunting into their bumper.

• See Saturday’s JEP for more comment from Christine.