SPEED campaigners have reported that there has been no improvement to Frome’s speeding problem, after high visibility speed checks recorded over 100 speeding vehicles in one day.
Ashley Reay, Mendip Community Speed Watch team/police volunteer said, “The Frome public still have much to learn reference driving their vehicles within the posted speed limits as a recent series of speed checks by the speed enforcement unit showed little, if any improvement on the previous checks.
“The police team visited the area recently in a very high profile visit and recorded well over 100 speeding vehicles in less than a day, with final figures still to be announced. The success of such police operations is not judged on how many are recorded as speeding as high numbers, as shown in this operation, but it simply means that the Frome public still has much to learn. A lower figure means improvements, sadly almost not seen here.
“It is true to say that there were some areas that showed improvements as not a single vehicle was reported as exceeding the speed limit at the Clink, but that was as far as the good news went. All other areas showed increases to varying degrees.
“The police set up a very high profile presence at Berkley School at school leaving time, only to find that a number of parents collecting children from school were recorded at speeds up to 50mph. All will be prosecuted.
“Record numbers of motorists have been recorded as exceeding the speed limit at this site this year. Those recorded by the speed enforcement unit have/will all be prosecuted. Some were travelling so fast that they exceeded the threshold for a fixed penalty and had to/will appear in court.
“If the public think that these speed checks are going away, then they are sadly mistaken, as all we have seen in this latest series of high profile checks is that motorists have yet to learn that speeding can, and does kill and no apologies are made for stating again, that unless the public slow down, only tragedy and heartbreak will follow.”
Above: Police checking speeds at Berkley School, Frome.