SPEEDWATCH Frome needs more volunteers to join the team and help keep speeds down on the roads in and around the town.
Frome Community Speed Watch (CSW) figures released for last year show Warminster Road, Styles Hill and Frome town centre are ‘speeding hot spots’, where over 1,700 motorists faced prosecution for speeds at times over 60 mph, in a 30mph zone.
Coordinator for CSW Frome, Ashley Reay said, “To become a volunteer with us, there’s no costs, full training is provided, there’s no set hours and volunteers can measure speeds wherever they want to do it.”
There are 20 CSW volunteers in Frome and around 200 to 300 across Mendip but the group have reported difficulties in recruiting new people. Ashley said, “We do struggle sometimes to get volunteers because people are reluctant to stand on the side of the road where they may potentially be recognised by people but volunteers go out in pairs or small groups and the Neighbourhood Police team are sometimes there.
“The benefit of volunteering with the group is that you will help keep speeds down in the town and in-turn help the town to be a safer place. When drivers see the hi-vis jackets it does make them slow down because they start to immediately wonder if it is the police.”
“In the last two to three years we have had no reported critical accidents in the town centre attributed to speeding.”
According to CSW a speed indicator device on Warminster Road is not slowing drivers down. Ashley said, “As summer arrives in the Frome area so does the season of the silly motorist as speeding, yet again, shows no signs of any real reduction.
“The speed enforcement unit is going over and above the requirements to make themselves ultra visible at the various ‘hot spots’ for speeding, all seemingly to no avail as currently not only is there a speed indication device at Warminster Road which shows the actual speed of vehicles but many are simply ignoring this extra warning and speeding up approaching the warning sign and of course are recorded for prosecution purposes.
“No-one is prosecuted unless they are 10% + 2 mph in a 30mph zone or 10% +4 in a 20 zone which is more than generous.”
Urging people to slow down Ashley said, “Please may we ask that the motorist slow down, avoid fines and penalty points and get there just a few seconds later. The police are being more than generous and very fair so please, do ‘your bit’ and think of others on the road be it vehicles, runners, cyclists or pedestrians and your family waiting at home.
“Why would people want to speed? No-one is making them do it. Why would people want to give £100 of their hard-earned money to the government and points on their license if it can be avoided? Our message is that we just want people to slow down. That’s all, please just slow down.”
To become a Community Speedwatch volunteer visit the Community Speedwatch section of the Avon and Somerset Police website and sign up, https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/your-area/sedgemoor-north-west/priorities/community-speedwatch/
Pictured: CSW volunteers testing speeds at Stanier Close.
