Following public complaints, The Avon and Somerset Speed Enforcement Unit carried out a period of intense focus on the town’s notorious speeding sites.
Ashley Reay from Mendip CSW reports, “One day at a weekend, and one day within the week in mid-February was chosen and the results were less than impressive in terms of seeing any reductions in speeding.
“Two police vehicles and a police motorcyclist visited all the noted ‘hot spots’ on the days along with visits to Berkley school and the Frome bypass. All sites visited produced vehicles with excess speed.
“Hundreds of motorists were reported for excess speed, with a high percentage being so fast that they will be prosecuted in court. Court fines are significantly higher than the fixed penalty of £100 and 3 penalty points.
“Some speeds were almost double the speed limit and despite new road markings and signs at Warminster Road, the speeds over the two days showed no improvements at this site or any of the others since the last operation of this type.
“Local social media sites do little to improve matters, with comments either in the defence of speeding or making comments that are factually incorrect. Comments on these sites do nothing to reduce speeds and with a high number of deaths around the town area in the past two years due in no small way to excess speed, then it is an encouragement to slow down which is needed, not ridicule of the police who have to carry out these tasks.
“The police task force will be back again to Frome with more equipment, more visits and more endeavour than ever to reduce speeds, so why the current drivers in and around Frome take no notice is quite beyond belief. Covid-19 has taken enough lives, let us not add to the numbers.”
