Community Speed Watch - Was it worth it? - Submitted by Gerry 29 Jun 2009

In July 2008, I and other parishioners volunteered to carry out a Speedwatch Campaign after collecting a 200+ signature petition from residents concerned about the speed of traffic within the parish.

The object was of the scheme was to identify roads where there was a high incidence of excessive speeding and among the worst were vehicles travelling from Enderby along Beggars Lane and Somerfield Way which appears to be used as a ‘rat run’ from Beggars Lane to the A47.

Hinckley Road was also known to be problem mainly in the evening and at the weekends, as at other times it tended to be self-regulating due to the sheer volume of traffic particularly at peak travelling times.

From the feedback obtained during the scheme it was shown that just over 30,000 vehicles used the A47 over the five-week period monitored and that was just in one direction. The average speed for the 40mph road was 48 mph with the highest recorded speed being 58mph.

On Beggars Lane the average count for the same period was 7,300 vehicles measured in only one direction. The average speed was 40mph the highest recorded speed was 51mph! in a 30mph limit.

In the adjacent roads of Forest house Lane, the average speed of 38.2mph with the highest recorded being 46mph. Alarmingly at Stafford Leys the highest speed recorded was 44mph. Remember that this is in a location close to one of our schools Stafford Leys County Primary School!

Considering that all roads within L.F.E. are 30mph with the exception of the A47, the number of vehicles recorded above the limit was quite alarming. According to police records the majority of the vehicles exceeding the speed limit are registered to owners within the parish.

The volumes of traffic recorded will of course increase dramatically in the not too distant future if as is likely, L.F.E has to accept the bulk of the proposed new housing development which would see between 3500 and 4000 properties being completed by the year 2020.

Speed checks were also subsequently carried out by the Police in areas identified by the Speedwatch volunteers. However, despite one motorist caught speeding doing 53mph and sixtytwo others checked at over 35 mph - NO ACTION WAS TAKEN except for a warning letters being sent to the registered owners address! These numbers were in TWO hours between 7.30 and 9.30 in the morning. Apparently the attending officers although allowed, to carry out the checks they had not receieved sufficient training for the results taken to be used in law - hence the warning letters.

Prior to the scheme we were advised that consideration would be given in locations that proved to be a real problem for some sort of control to be introduced through whatever means appropriate to the area. In reality this is difficult to implement and it was hoped that the fact that ‘Speedwatch’ was initiated would perhaps make some drivers more aware of speeding.

Generally the scheme was well received by residents however, as is usual in this type of situation there were individuals who took exception to what we were trying to achieve and decided to give verbal abuse and offering advise as to what we should be doing instead of “wasting our time” I would repeat that the scheme was run by volunteers in an effort to make L.F.E a safer place for ALL.

Deliberation was given to undertake a repeat exercise this year to see if the Speedwatch scheme had made any impact of reducing the incidents of excess speed along the same roads.

However, having brought attention to the situation it was considered that it was now up to the appropriate authorities to deal with it and that The Police should perhaps monitor more frequently and with more intent.

Gerry

Speed Watch Co-ordinator.

See the article >> Thousands speed - not one is fined <<