Speedwatch

Speedwatch in Meldreth has operated continuously since 2003, just as in many other South Cambridgeshire villages. Our spring to summer season runs from February to the end of July, subject to weather and the availability of our volunteers. During that period nearly 5400 vehicles passed though our watches, of which 9% were violating the 30mph village speed limit by travelling at 35 mph or above. That is a small improvement on previous years. The police contact drivers of such vehicles by letter to politely remind them to keep to the statutory limit. These letters are sent for up to two violations. If a vehicle is observed speeding three times by a Speedwatch team, then the vehicle owner receives a visit by a uniformed police officer delivering a third letter. We know from feedback that these letters largely work. Local residents have told volunteers that the receipt of a letter definitely reminds them to be aware of observing limits. A small minority of course do ignore the police reminders and in our area three police visits have had to be made this year to date. In our last article we mentioned our need for new volunteers. Our watches always need a minimum team of three persons. Unless that number is available, the watch cannot run. Speedwatch is a community initiative in cooperation with the police to educate the driving public in the interests of road safety for all users, not just those driving vehicles. If our community is still concerned about speeding traffic please help to keep Speedwatch running by volunteering a few hours each week. If you would like to join us or just want further information on Speedwatch, please contact us on csw.meldreth@btinternet.com. Graham Borgonon Meldreth Speedwatch Team