Bridge

[Pomme de terre]

The people of Normandy might not want thousands of finance workers from Jersey "going over there, pushing their house prices up" (and sleeping with their women/men...)

The roads in Jersey are not up to getting masses of people out to La Rocque, the proposed starting point of the bridge. At the French end, there wouldn't just be some miraculous yuppie town, where everyone would live - you'd have to drive a bit. So, a daily commute would roughly be: 20 mins on Jersey roads, 10 mins on the bridge, 20-30 mins in France. Morning and night. Sounds like heaven - not! May as well go and commute in London.

[Fritz]

That is exactly how it will be, and you are in no position to stop it.

What say ye, Pomme de terre?

[danrok]

For commuters, the daily bridge tolls, and extra fuel costs for a car would soon add up.  Plus your breath would smell of garlic.

[Pomme de terre]

Fritz, why am I in no position to stop it? I can see myself laying down in front of the bulldozers already. 

Seriously, people need to think what it would be like to actually live in France, day to day, on a normal wage. I've done it, for a few years. It's alright. But it's VERY different. It's not all Peter Mayle, a Year in Provence. Unless you are Peter Mayle and you are in Provence.

The pros: cheap(er) housing, cheaper utility bills, cheaper food, amazing cradle-to-grave health system, freedom to travel, access to sports/cultural activities, and probably many, many other things that I can't remember. I loved it, really.

The cons: insane bureaucracy. Really, really, insane bureaucracy. High tax bills, high social security bills (most Finance industry workers would pay more than 50% of their salary in tax and social charges), an annual "wealth tax", it's difficult to really understand "the system" unless you understand the language, difficulty being accepted unless you learn the language, resentment from the local community if you live there but don't integrate. Spending all your working day in Jersey won't help.

Why do you think there are (or were, pre-credit crunch) so many young French people working in the City, and Jersey for that matter? France has a brain drain, because it is so expensive to live there too. There is no magic answer.

I don't mean to knock the place, but people need to be realistic. Modern communications certainly help, but when I was there, without the internet and satellite TV, you missed the simple things....like Match of the Day! I speak the language fluently, have a deep affection for the place, and understand its systems, which helped. But it's incredible what you miss...

My point is: it's not as simple as saying "I can't afford the rent in St Clement, I'm gonna commute from Normandy". Even with a bit of knowledge and affection for the place, I'd would take a lot to make me commute.

BTW, it rains a lot in Normandy. It keeps the grass green, the cows chewing it, and the camembert delicious. But it don't half rain...

[Pomme de terre]

Oh, I'd forgotten to mention that the bridge would probably be a drug dealer's wet dream. How could we possibly police the importation of narcotics across the bridge?

What about general criminals, coming over for a nice day's burgling in our poorly secured country parishes? Don't worry lads! We've got the honorary police to stop that gang of vicious [insert favoured criminal group here] burglars from looting us! Ha ha ha.

Whilst we wouldn't get a Sangatte style camp at the French end (because we are tight with our benefits) we could be opening ourselves up to some currently unforeseen criminal activity. Jeez, I've been reading the Daily Mail for too long now 

Seriously though, does anyone want to risk Sangatte 2, but with even easier access to British territory than at Sangatte itself?

[The Rev Peter Sarkey]

That is exactly how it will be, and you are in no position to stop it.

What say ye, Pomme de terre?

I reckon ole Fritzy is secretly a Harcourt mole. ISCHT DAAT RIGHT FRITZ - YA? " Zere vill be no schtoppink us - Ha! " ( tried that one once before methinks......)

[Xenth]

I reckon ole Fritzy is secretly a Harcourt mole. ISCHT DAAT RIGHT FRITZ - YA? " Zere vill be no schtoppink us - Ha! " ( tried that one once before methinks......)

Lol reminds me of the Blackadder script:

Are there any german spies in this hospital?
Nein!
Gosh Nine!

[The Rev Peter Sarkey]

Yep you're right again tenth, I reckon that if our Air ace gets his way we'll all be spending reichmarks at the Iceland supermarket before you could say Raddison.

[Nick Palmer]

What about the environmental impact of what you are purporting Nick?? Doesn't this go against the grain? How about the use of mass concrete? What about the cultural impact. Those of us who don't will be talking French before you know it. The Norway bridge works because it joins two largely populated areas together. What is the incentive to connect France with Jersey? When it is built ( assuming) will there be a requirement to join Guernsey? Do you want us to look like the florida keys?

The impact on the marine environment is probably more than offset by the creation of much more "reef" like ecosystem than we would lose. The amount of tidal energy to be harvested over a 15 mile plus distance is so vast that the energy embodied in the foundations, whether concrete or otherwise, would be paid back earlier rather than later.  Correctly designed, the structure could generate huge quantities of power for a hundred years or more and would be a massive environmental plus, not just locally but on a global scale too. As I mentioned elsewhere, it would allow cheap road imports from France and could feature a deep water harbour and even artificial islands like those in Dubai

[Uni]

     :)A bridge to France, Yes please.Consider the health care if one could be so lucky in having our medical care so close, or in Health insurance by this country,First class Medical care,Successfull Cancer treatment highest as recorded  by The World Health Organization, Only a stones throw away,.
France has a lot to offer. No long waiting lists, risks of catching hospital bugs.   So many already holiday,do day trips.And choose to live there.

[Pomme de terre]

Nick, any idea where it would link up to on the Cherbourg peninsula?
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=49.258843,-1.461182&spn=1.086283,2.900391&z=9

I don't know the Cherbourg peninsula well, but all those roads due east of Jersey are "D roads". There would have to be a major roadbuilding programme on both sides of the bridge. Just because we can see France doesn't make it easy to get truckloads of consumer goods to that coast, using the existing infrastructure.

It is interesting to read the wikipedia page about the Rance tidal barrage. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rance_tidal_power_plant. I had always thought that it was a vanity project of Charles De Gaulle and that it would never recover its costs, but it seems like it has done. I do agree that a 15 mile span would generate huge quantities of electricity though.

Some excellent comments over at The Rag http://www.thisisjersey.com/2008/10/18/bridge-to-france-study-next-year/#comments

[The Rev Peter Sarkey]

There's no way Carteret would be involved ( nearest point with infrastructure ) it would mess up the ecrehous ( unlikely to happen therefore ) Carteret are spending big bucks on USA to Paris high speed freight ( I have SEEN the plans ) so I think it is a non starter.

[Res Nullius]

I do like the idea.  Lessay would be a good place to 'land' in France.

Think I would sell up here, buy a mansion over there and commute!

[The Rev Peter Sarkey]

I do like the idea.  Lessay would be a good place to 'land' in France.

Think I would sell up here, buy a mansion over there and commute!

Res, your'e not wanting to become one of those damn communters are ya?

[Res Nullius]

Yep.  I see me and my Toyota pickup thundering over the Jermandy bridge twice a day..