PCC encourages joint effort to reduce speeding and protect schoolchildren in Swindon
The Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, Philip Wilkinson, has called for united action to reduce speeding outside of a Swindon primary school where over five thousand drivers have been caught breaking the speed limit in the last year.
Wiltshire Police joined forces with the community around Queens Drive to raise awareness of persistent speeding after enforcement alone has failed to curb the problem.
On average 79 drivers have been found to be speeding past Holy Cross Junior School during each 65 enforcement sessions in the last 12 months. That is 5,149 motorists recorded exceeding the 30mph speed limit.
On Monday May 18, parents, teachers, students, the Police and Crime Commissioner and local councillor Adorabelle Shaikh joined police officers at the school to discuss the problem. Students were given a lesson on road safety and in a practical demonstration learnt about stopping distances.
Mr Wilkinson said:
“Keeping young people safe has to be a priority for all of us, and speed enforcement has always been a priority in my Police and Crime Plan.
“There are more speeding drivers caught outside this school driving over 50mph in a 30mph zone than probably anywhere else in the county, and that’s why we have to make these areas of potential high harm a high priority.
“Everybody needs to play their part, that’s from the headteacher and the school staff who are brilliant, to the parents, children, the police, my office and the council. We all need to work together.”
Andy Hicks, Speed Enforcement Officer for Wiltshire Police said,
"Queens Drive is an unusual location. Despite being a 30mph road, it consists of six lanes, three in each direction, effectively creating a mini‑motorway directly past a primary school. Along the same stretch sits an ambulance station and a day hub supporting vulnerable and homeless adults. This combination of high‑speed traffic and vulnerable pedestrians makes strict speed compliance absolutely essential."
Speed Enforcement Officers tackle elements of the Fatal 5: speeding, mobile phone use, not wearing seatbelts, drink/drug driving, and careless or distracted driving. Enforcement locations across Wiltshire are selected through risk‑based analysis, focusing our efforts where the likelihood of harm is highest.
Andy Hicks went on to say,
"Officers have witnessed parents with children attempting to cross all six lanes of traffic rather than using the nearby pedestrian crossing, placing themselves and their children at significant risk. Vulnerable adults have also been seen stepping into the road without awareness of the dangers. These behaviours, combined with excessive vehicle speeds, create a serious and entirely avoidable threat to life."
Wiltshire Police is working closely with Swindon Borough Council to secure additional signage and road‑safety measures, following feedback that signage is insufficient, and some sat‑nav systems reportedly incorrectly show the road as 40mph, despite the limit being reduced to 30mph in 2018.
