Have had a bit of a lull on account of illness so have started this again for this year
Collated results
Tea time 4th June 11 cars recorded - max speed 45 in 30 Bunwell road
Morning 2 July 3 cars recorded - max 44 in Chapel road
Morning 6 Aug 13 cars recorded - max 46 in Bunwell road ( Unfortunately one Gold VW driven by a lady driver from the Bunwell direction with a child in the back and on her mobile phone did not come up on the DVLA database, so was not passed to Community Speedwatch team) She completely ignored us , did not slow down at all, no doubt on account of being on the phone (?) and really should know better. We have limits to protect children who are the most vunerable and most likely to be killed when hit by a car doing over 40 as this one was !
Whilst I am sure to some this is very irritating and nothing more than a nuisance you might have missed the story that ALL of Norwich is going to be 20 MPH limited in the new year.
Try leaving 5 minutes earlier and stick to the limit please otherwise 20 MPH will come to us all.
Just to let you know that as a result of a new Policy from the Police, 2 days ago the trigger speed for recording 'offenders' has now decreased to better match the trigger point for on the spot fines used by the Police.
Not moaning, not whinging, just letting you know. ANON please note
Is the Spooner Row Community Speed Watch team still in action?
I moved in to the village 14 months ago and have been shocked by the number of individuals breaking the speed limits. I have been overtaken within the 30 MPH speed limit in the core of the village on at least 6 occasions this year, predominantly on passing through the chicane heading out of the village towards the A11. However, the worst offender which occurred at 07:15 AM this morning was when I was overtaken by a Gold Renault Clio registration number P17 EMY. The car overtook me just after passing through the chicane heading in to the village near Hill Road, approximately halfway past the bend towards The Boars! This car must have sped through the 40 MPH limit on entering the village and carried this speed through the chicane as the vehicle lights were not visible when I entered the Bunwell Road from Hill Road moments earlier. The vehicle caught me up pretty quickly past the chicane, initially driving so close to me that I could not see the vehicle headlights in my rear-view mirror.
On leaving the village there was a young girl walking in dark clothing on the road through the other chicane. This combination of speeding drivers and no footpath in poor light at dawn and dusk is an accident waiting to happen.
This sort of behaviour needs to be stopped before someone is seriously injured or killed. If anyone recognises the vehicle number plate above, please shame them in to slowing down for the sake of all our families.
It appears that the Spooner Row Community Speed watch team is no longer in existence. I am therefore canvassing for volunteers, a minimum of 6 are required, to make it worth while reforming. If anybody is interested please send me an email to smr.ward@orange.net If we get enough interest I am willing to set the scheme up again and act as a coordinator.
For info if you are inteterested:
The minimum required for each speed watch session is 3 people
You cannot operate in icy conditions or the dark
You can only operate at approved sites (We had 3 but as one was so close to the chicane at the school it was not used a great deal) the others are in Bunwell road and Chapel road
You will need to be trained
Each session lasts about an hour, but we can operate for longer if we wish
Is there really no one else out there who is concerned about vehicles speeding through our village? I have waited 2.5 weeks and no one has contacted me at all about the community speed watch activity, not even to discuss other opinions or ask for more detail. I bring it up agai, as this morning the same Gold Renault Clio registration number P17 EMY, sped into the village at 0720 and drove right up behind me, again so close I couldn't see their lights. They arrived in my rear view mirror from virtually no where, not long after I passed through the chicane on the Bunwell Road. I think the only reason he/she did not overtake me this time was because I moved my vehicle close to the white line in the centre of the road to make him/her think twice.
If people cannot spare the time to undertake the Community Speed Watch activity can we start collecting a body of evidence on this site of repeat offenders who speed through the heart of our village? I am willing to try to start up a relationship with Norfolk Police based on any evidence we collect to try to get them to undertake some traffic policing activity. I need a body of evidence though to start the conversation.
Best thing to do is actually speak with people and get the support that way. My experience of living here is that people tend to agree but need to be nudged.
I am willing to help with observations, my hindrance is that I am 'less able', this really seems to make me a target for vehicles as I tend to be on an electric scooter when (trying) to use the footpaths.
I was involved with the Speedwatch Team for a while. It was the same people carrying out the observations all the time. It was fruitless as the police and local authority weren't interested in actually making permanent changes that improved the speeding issues. Julian Hall worked very hard to get out voices heard within Wymondham Council and we were basically told that until there was a casulty list, they weren't prepared to do anything. We were all left incredibly disillusioned by the whole thing. It's possibly the biggest negative of living in this lovely village.
