Kill Your Speed, Not Our Villagers

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Community Speed Watch in Sidbury
Update 9/9/19
Many of you may have thought that, as all has been quiet on the Sidbury Traffic Action Group front, we have not been continuing to work in our quest to have speed activated signs in the village. There are however certain ‘hoops’ that we have to jump through before we are able to have these signs.

One of these hoops involved the setting up of a Community Speed Watch Group. Our first task was to complete a form to apply to be a police volunteer. It seemed as though we were applying to join the police force! Then we had to wait…and wait.

First of all we had to be vetted by the police and then there was a moratorium on setting up speed watch groups and for a time we thought that might be the end of the story.

Once we were given the go ahead we held a meeting in July with Phil Thomas PCSO to give an update to our volunteers.

Today our 16 volunteers were trained by Elaine Hartley, Force Speed Watch Co-ordinator for Devon and Cornwall, which means that we can now go ahead and start the speed watch. Elaine was surprised how many volunteers we had.

When Community Speed Watch is in operation blue signs will be positioned to advise motorists. Those carrying out the speed watch will be wearing high vis waistcoats. Initially the groups will be accompanied by Phil Thomas.

The purpose of Community Speed Watch is to educate drivers not to speed and not reinforcement. We aim to make the village a safer place. Drivers speeding will receive an official letter. If a driver is recorded speeding again he/she is liable to be visited by uniformed officers.

Elaine Hartley told us that most people who are caught by Community Speed Watch Groups live locally, so watch out as we would much rather not record the number plates of any of our neighbours!

It will, hopefully, not be too long before at least one speed activated sign is erected in the village to reduce speed through the village and make Sidbury a safer place and an easier place for pedestrians.
Janice Faulkner

During one week in April, 2018 a "black box" was installed within the 20 mph zone on Cotford Road.
This graph shows that 88% of drivers ignored the 20 mph speed limit.
Traffic Speed Graph

If a pedestrian is hit at:

  • 40mph there is about a 9 in 10 (90%) chance of being killed or 10% chance of survival.
  • at 35mph there is a 50/50 chance of being killed.
  • at 30mph there is about a 1 in 5 (20%) chance of being killed or 80% chance of survival.
  • at 20mph there is about a 1 in 40 (2.5%) chance of being killed or 97% chance of survival.
(Source Ashton and Mackay 1979)