Futures Forum: Campaign for safer roads in Sidbury > "the official data demonstrates the vast volume of traffic that goes through Sidbury - and the fact that the vast majority of drivers actually break the limit" > public meeting Weds 21st Nov
There has been a bit of activity on the Nextdoor social network of late - on the issue of speeding...
This thread is on getting people to drive more slowly (names have been removed, other than Councillors):
Poll: Should we have a 20 miles an hour speed limit on
our rural villages
There is little point in imposing rules if they cannot be enforced and
our police force, although excellent, has too much to do at the moment without
adding to the burden.
We have a 20mph zone in Sidbury that a Devon County Council vehicle
speed sensor showed that in a complete week last year 88% of drivers drove in
excess of the speed limit. And Sidbury Traffic Action Group, which is supported
by Sidbury WI, are battling to get DCC to take this matter seriously and put up
flashing speed signs. But as no one has yet been killed we aren’t taken
seriously.
Some drivers take notice of speed limits but unfortunately it's the same
as parking restrictions - if there's no enforcement then many people just don't
give a .......
Car brakes are many times more effective than when the 30 limit was set,
but as usual the weak link is the nut behind the wheel.
I know when your walking along and some nutter come flying along it's
very scary. Let alone dangerous. Why people feel the need to drive so fast on
our small roads.!
Certainly 30 is too fast in Beer Fore Street in summer with so many
people on the narrow sections of pavement. The short distance of visability
between the bends does not give some pedestrians time to cross safely.
I'm your County Councillor and I'm on a working party which is looking
at the situations in which 20 limits could be introduced in town and village
settings. If you want to propose a 20 limit for a specific area or roads in
Branscombe, Beer or elsewhere, the best thing to do is to discuss it first with
your parish or town council who will need to be involved in putting it forward,
and let me know (cllrmartinshaw@gmail.com).
I think each road should be discussed on its merits. As I understand it
from Sgt. Andy Squires the 20 limit is an advisory limit only. As Chris
suggests, pedestrian safety is a key issue but perhaps only in certain areas.
In Sidmouth town centre it can be hard to get up to 20 mph and the narrow
streets and thronging pedestrians make a low speed essential anyway. That said,
not long ago there was a nasty accident where someone was knocked down, which
might belatedly make the case for a 20 mph limit in the town centre.
In Sidbury we have had to investigate this suggestion that our 20mph is
not enforceable. As the limit has been adopted/agreed by DCC it is enforceable
and the police have accepted that point. So anyone of the 88% who drive through
Sidbury in excess of 20 mph is liable for prosecution. It’s been designed as a
20 mph zone for a reason. As the police resources to enforce this are stretched
Sidbury Traffic Action Group has submitted names of residents to the police who
will form a local speed watch group. The intention is for them to “police” the
speeding vehicles in liaison with the police.
·
I think the confusion may be caused by the fact that a 20 'zone' is not
enforceable but a 20 'limit' such as exists in Sidford (and presumably Sidbury)
is enforceable.
Nextdoor
And this was reblogged on Nextdoor from a news piece earlier from Devon & Cornwall Police:
No need for speed
Police target excessive speed – one of the Fatal Five
Excessive speed is one of the Fatal Five top contributory factors to deaths and serious injuries on UK roads, because collisions where speed is a factor have a disproportionately high rate of fatalities associated with them.
For two weeks from 14 – 27 January Devon and Cornwall Police and partner agencies will be targeting drivers who selfishly endanger other road users not to mention themselves by speeding, as will police forces across the UK in support of a campaign led by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC).
There is no excuse for excessive speed when driving, either breaking the speed limit or traveling too fast for the road conditions, but that doesn’t stop drivers who are pulled over from offering them.
The highlights from the Alliance Roads Policing team’s activity in the first week of 2019 alone (see photo montage) supplied the following gems:
- “Keeping up with the flow of traffic” when having just overtaken an unmarked police car and everything else (92mph)
- “My cat is sick” (91mph, with children in the car)
- “In a rush to get to my girlfriends house” (101mph)
- “Didn’t realise I was going that fast” (100mph)
- “Chatting and distracted” (94mph)
Far from just handing out “speeding tickets”, dependent on the severity of each offence drivers may receive penalty points on their licence and a fine, or they may have the option of attending a speed awareness course in which case those penalties will not apply.
In extreme cases of excessive speed, they may face a day in court which could result in a driving ban.
Operations will be carried out across Devon and Cornwall on arterial routes and A roads, and in areas where concerns have been raised about speeding through towns and communities.
Devon and Cornwall Police will deploy the No Excuse team and the Alliance and Alliance Specials Roads Policing teams, working with the Peninsula Road Safety Partnership (PRSP) which operates static and mobile speed safety cameras.
In a separate announcement, the PRSP have warned drivers that speed enforcement warning signs are not a legal requirement to validate the results of an operation.
Marcus Laine, Operations Manager for the Peninsula Road Safety Partnership: “In future we may operate for short periods without using camera warning signs at sites which have been assessed locally as needing an intervention, and require us to deploy in the short term.
“If the site continues to be used the partnership will consider adding camera warning signs to further improve compliance.”
A fuller statement about this will be available on the PRSP website next week.
Alison Hernandez, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall, is the national lead for road safety for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners.
A survey run by her office last month showed that the public overwhelming supported tougher penalties for drivers who flout the law.
She said: “The new No Excuse roads policing team, coupled with the partnership’s work, means speeding drivers are less likely to be able to get away with endangering their lives and the lives of others.
“In 2017, the last year for which there are figures, there were 1,616 reported accidents in Devon and Cornwall and 63 deaths on our roads, this is simply unacceptable.
“I think it’s absolutely right that the mobile speed cameras can appear without warning anywhere on our roads – whether they be major routes or smaller rural locations where we know a disproportionate number of serious collisions occur.
“The simple message to drivers is that if you don’t want to be penalised for speeding, stay within the limits.”
The Fatal Five are the five main causes of serious injuries and deaths on the region’s roads.
- Inappropriate or excessive speed
- Not wearing a seat belt
- Driver distractions including using mobile devices such as phones, 'sat navs' and tablets
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Careless and inconsiderate driving
More information about how we can all help to make our roads safer can be found in the Devon & Cornwall Police and Dorset Police Alliance booklet “A Guide to Safer Roads” which can be found online here:
On the road | Devon and Cornwall Police
News article | Devon and Cornwall Police
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