Cowick city councillors to address speeding throughout the ward

COWICK city councillors Paul Bull and Heather Morris have made it their New Year's Resolution to address the problem of speeding throughout the ward.

Cllr Bull points out that most of the ward has a speed limit of 20 miles an hour and Cllr Morris said: "Every time we go out and meet residents on the doorstep, we are always being asked what we can do about speeding.

"It's worth remembering that when stopped for speeding, the majority of those motorists live within a mile or so of where they were stopped. So we are asking Cowick residents to make sure they always keep to the speed limit of 20mph."

Cllr Bull said: "There are several speed tables along Barley Lane, yet speeds still exceed the 20mph speed limit."

BRAND NEW FORD B-MAX ZETEC 1.0 ECOBOOST FOR ONLY £7685*

Swanson Motor Company

View details

Print voucher

DRIVE AWAY A BRAND NEW FORD B-MAX ZETEC FOR ONLY £7685.
1.0 100PS Manual
WITH:
Electric Windows & Mirrors
Quickclear Heated Windscreen
15" Alloy Wheels
Bluetooth with Ford Sync
Fog Lights

Terms: *Drive away from only £7685 and then pay nothing for 24 months!
4.9% APR
Conditions Apply

Contact: 01626 240583

Valid until: Sunday, June 30 2013

Cllr Bull added that because of the speed tables put in by the county council the local police are reluctant to carry out speed checks there.

He said: "I've heard talk about involving the local community in a Speed Watch campaign, yet the Community Speed Watch Co-ordinator has no knowledge of these plans, and the Neighbourhood Policing Team have confirmed to me that they do not have the time or capacity to run such a scheme."

The Barley Lane speed cushions and speed table were installed as part of the planning consent for the new Sylvan Heights development.

Recent monitoring of speeds by Cllr Bull along this stretch show that average speeds were around 25mph and that 15 per cent of vehicles exceeded the speed limit by more that 10mph.

Cllr Morris added: "If a pedestrian is hit by a car travelling at 20mph, their chances of survival would be nine out of 10.

"If hit at 30mph, eight out of 10 survive, but only 50 per cent survive being hit at 35 mph and less than one in 10 survive at 40 mph.

"Cllr Bull and I have been looking at the speed humps on Barley Lane and we believe that they have been installed incorrectly.

"We've asked highways officers at the county council to investigate and we understand that they have been set too far apart, allowing cars to drive through the central gap.

"We have had assurances that this will be remedied as and when budgets allow."

Vanessa Newcombe, county councillor for Alphington and Cowick, has confirmed that the speed humps are to be changed.

Cllr Newcombe said: "There is a Road Traffic Order being raised to replace the speed cushions because they are not effective.

"When cars are parked on the road drivers can just drive through the gap between them so they are going to be re-positioned."

The city councillors also believe that having flashing vehicle activated signs could be the answer.

Cllr Bull added: "Flashing signs advising drivers of the speed limit appear to work.

"There is a stretch of road in Alphington that is less than half a mile long, yet it has three of these signs in operation.

"Cowick has none. This measure would help reinforce the message that Twenty's Plenty for Cowick."