PCC backs joint action in Wiltshire village described as "Brands Hatch"
Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson, has listened to the concerns of residents in one Wiltshire village following a number of recorded speeding incidents this year.
According to speed enforcement figures, a vehicle breaks the thirty miles an hour speed limit in Chitterne every three minutes. Nearly eighteen percent of drivers caught breaking the law receive a fine, points on their licence or are left facing court action.
Mr Wilkinson joined a speed enforcement session in Chitterne and spoke to residents about the work being undertaken by Community Speed Enforcement Officers (CSEOs) in the county and partnership work through the Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership to address speeding. He heard how vehicles used the B390, which goes through the village, as a ratrun to avoid congestion on the A303 and A36, and regularly ignored signs to slow down.
General Sir Nick Parker is the chair of Chitterne Parish Council:
"Since moving here, I have become much more conscious of how important it is to respect the communities that you drive through when there's a thirty mile an hour limit because of the difference that it makes for their lives.
"I think Chitterne has a reputation for being a village on a straight road that when you come down the hill, you have to make a conscious decision to go slowly. We have vulnerable people living here, and there are places in the village where it is dangerous to cross the road because there are points where the pavement disappears.
"We just hope that this (community speed enforcement) initiative causes people to show a little bit more consideration when they come through Chitterne."
Since the start of the year, seven community speed enforcement sessions have taken place in Chitterne, with ninety-eight drivers being caught going above the limit. In March, one driver was recorded at sixty miles an hour, double the speed limit. A postal worker described the village as being like "Brands Hatch".
Mr Wilkinson said:
"It is clear to see this is having a profound effect on the lives of the residents in Chitterne, who have eloquently demonstrated to me their concerns, given the nature of the road layout in the village.
"Whilst the presence of the Community Speed Enforcement Officers provide reassurance for the residents, it's important that we work together with the parish council and local authorities through the road safety partnership to come up with a more effective long term solution to address these issues."
Debbi Hide is Community Speed Enforcement Officer who has been working in Chitterne:
"Compared to any other village or town that I've been in, the main problem is the sheer speed. It isn't just a little tiny bit over thirty.
"Drivers have come off a national speed limit and they don't slow down at all.
"They also have to look at the conditions they're driving in. They're coming down a hill into a residential area where there are parked cars on one side of the road. Speed is a factor but it's also the hazard perception side of things.
"Thirty means community. Thirty means there are going to be multiple hazards ahead. When you come into any thirty mile an hour zone anywhere, you should be ready for those hazards."
