Radar gun trial sees cut of 2mph
A four-month scheme which allowed Cumbrian residents to catch speeding motorists saw speeds reduced by less than 2mph, police figures show.
Last year people in Brampton were given police radar guns to help combat drivers who break the speed limit.
Between August and November average speeds in monitored 30mph areas fell from 39.2mph to 37.7mph.
Cumbria Police admitted the reduction was small, but said it could still help prevent deaths or serious injuries.
In August and September volunteers monitored the speed of 239 vehicles in hot spot areas across Brampton and found the average speed was 39.2mph.
Warning letters
In October and November, they repeated the exercise at the same locations and monitored the speed of 124 vehicles and found they were averaging 37.7mph.
All of the areas have a 30mph speed limit and the fastest vehicle was clocked at 59mph.
All those who were spotted were issued with warning letters.
A Cumbria Police spokeswoman said: "Ideally we would like to see every motorist driving under the 30mph limit and hopefully as we continue with the initiative average speeds will continue to fall.
"It is extremely encouraging to see that we are starting to make a difference and that speeds are beginning to fall.
"Brampton is a busy market town, with lots of children and pedestrians around, and the behaviour of some motorists poses a real threat.
"Residents felt it would only be a matter of time before there was a nasty accident, so we decided to do something proactive to tackle the issue."
Well let's see what spin was applied to this one.
Is the summer month of August not usually drier/more inclement when compared to the august month of November? Would one expect reasonable drivers to slow down in relatively worse conditions? Judging by the sample number, it looks like the survey was performed over a short period of time, that's nowhere near enough to cater for the ever changing weather patterns - they could have been operating on a sunny day in August and a damp day in November. Yet they are hailing this as a 'proven success' and are planning to
roll out the scheme based on these findings.
Were some of the monitored 'hot spots' within the village or the outskirts of it? (the road in question is a nice-looking NSL - A6071, so these hotspots could be outside and the speeds reasonable)
If the average is 39.2mph (outside of the village), would it not more appropriate to raise the limit to something people will respect, therefore avoiding needless criminalisation as well as greatly reducing unpredictable behaviour, complementing that with reasonable safety measures such as pedestrian crossings?
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
Members
