Speeders in the spotlight (From Gazette Series)

Speeders in the spotlight

SPEEDERS beware - villagers are gunning for you in Cromhall.

Armed with a radar speed gun, parish councillor Sue Crosthwaite and a posse of a volunteers have launched a Speed Watch initiative aimed at encouraging drivers to ease off the pedal and stick to the limits on the increasingly busy routes in and around the village.

"We are now getting a lot of heavy traffic through the village and all too often drivers are paying scant heed to the speed limits," said Sue, who is co-ordinating the scheme, introduced with police backing.

"Pavements in Cromhall are often narrow and in some places don't exist at all and traffic is now using village as an access route from Yate industrial park to the M5.

"We don't want to be seen as killjoys but the roads round here are now very dangerous at times and the parish council decided the time had come for some action . If we can get cars and lorries to slow down, we could save death or injury so it's got to be worth doing.

"We needed a minimum of six volunteers to get the scheme under way and I'm really pleased that we have been able to recruit double that number."

Two-person teams - fully kitted out in approved reflective coats - will venture at various random times of the day monitoring traffic speeds on the B4058 and B4509 roads including the route towards Leyhill. A total of seven check sites in and around the village have been approved by police.

" One person operates the gun while the other records as many vehicle details as possible ," said Sue. "We've all had training from the police so we know exactly what we we're doing.

"When we record a vehicle travelling at over the limit we pass on details to the police in Chipping Sodbury who then write to the keeper with a reminder to drive more responsibly in future.

"If the same vehicle is recorded on a second occasion then they get another letter couched in somewhat stronger terms!"

Prosecution itself can only follow if police are actually present during the speed checks.

"The Speed Watch system has been operating in other places for a few years now the results are really encouraging," said Sue. "We plan to extend this one to cover Bagstone as early as possible next year."

Pictured: Sue and Geoff Crosthwaite, of Cromhall, check the speed of vehicles driving through Cromhall on Tuesday GSR1205H03