SPEEDING continues to be an issue in town and the Community Speed Watch (CSW) say that it has risen by 50% in some areas.

Mendip CSW volunteer, Ashley Reay, says that she thinks drivers have ‘forgotten about speed limits’.
Ashley says, “The latest figures for speeding for the first six months of 2022 do not make good reading for the Mendip area in general or Frome. As the county recovers from Covid 19 it seems that the motorist, in general, has forgotten all about speed limits or the reasons why they are there.”
In Frome, the town council has invested heavily in a Speed Indication Device (SID) that is being deployed in areas of high spending in an effort to remind motorists to check their speeds.
Ashley says, “Speeds of up to 70mph in a 30mph zone have been recorded – not in the dead of night but in the middle of the day. Somerset highways, in conjunction with the police and Mendip CSW, have also invested heavily in the Warminster Road area by installing a new 40mph ‘buffer zone’, new road markings and signage.
“Despite all these measures, the numbers for Frome of those reported for excess speeds are now some 50% up on the same period for the year to date compared to 2021. We have already had one death (Berkley Street) since the beginning of the year, one too many, and whatever your opinions are on speed limits then you cannot expect the police to stand idly by when they see speeds of up to 70 mph in and around Frome being recorded.
“Most political parties have come together to try to find a way to reduce these horrific numbers and road improvement schemes, to enable better vision and clearer views of the road, are currently being installed. The speeding motorists simply ensure that even more roadside checks are carried out, more visits from the police speed enforcement unit are carried out and more fines and prosecutions take place. It is about saving lives not denying the motorist the pleasure of driving.
“Surely the time has come for the motorist to realise that death does not always happen to someone else so please, slow down and be responsible.”