Speedwatch
Included in the Parish Plan Community Questionnaire, in the Crime & Community Safety section, was the question "Would you support a scheme wherein the police issued hand held speed cameras to suitably trained members of the community to use.
Only 31% of households supported this proposal even though 52% felt speeding was an issue.
It is possible that a misunderstanding of the scheme is responsible for this result and therefore it was felt that the opportunity should be taken to revisit this subject. Coincidentally an article appeared in the Your Witshire Magazine's January 2010 issue. The following information was provided in the article under the headline
"Kill Your Speed"."We know that drivers speeding through towns and villages are a real issue and so we've (Wiltshire Council) joined forces with the Police and local communities to tackle the problem.
The Community Speedwatch Schemes are underway after a successful pilot Dauntcy, which was set up through the Malmesbury Area Board and the Parish Council.
The Police give volunteers special training. They give up their own time to monitor traffic speeds using speed detection equipment.
Information is passed to the Police and used to identify areas where speeding is an issue and is posing a real danger to other drivers and pedestrians. Those guilty of speeding get warning letters from the Police
Ellen Blacker, Vice Chairman of Dauntsy Parish Council said, "It is proving to be really successful. The vast majority of drivers do not speed intentionally and when they see us, they slow down."
If you are interested in the Speedwatch Scheme, would support it being adopted in Winterslow or want to register an objection please use the link Speedmaster or contact Mick Brown on 01980 862842.
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