By Steve Turner
Speedwatch has begun well. The teams have been monitoring speeds on Cole Rd, Frome Rd, the Plox and by the station. Other areas will follow. We have now monitored 4,227 cars in 15 sessions with 21 cars reported to the police in March and 15 cars in April. The reduction is due to the significant improvements on Cole Rd – 8 reported from 444 cars in March and 2 reported from 1,227 cars in April.
Data from our SID speed monitoring radar shows a general small reduction in speeds through the town:
- Cole Rd Pitcombe: 81% of vehicles speeding in October reducing 5% to 76% of vehicles speeding in March
- Cuckoo Hill 63% speeding in September reducing 9% to 54% in November
- Sexey’s school before and after the road improvements: 62% speeding in November reducing to 50% in April
Although these are all marginal improvements, it is important to remember that a reduction of a few mph could save a life.
If you could spare 3 hours a month to support Speedwatch, please contact us via the council office for more details.
SID radar data
Start Date | Average Number of Vehicles per Day | Percentage of Vehicles Exceeding Speed Limit (%) | 85th Percentile Speed (mph) | Top Speed (mph) | |
| Quaperlake St. | 6/9/15 | 1504 | 24 | 32 | 49 |
| Cuckoo Hill | 20/9/15 | 906 | 63 | 35 | 58 |
| Cole Road, Pitcombe | 6/10/15 | 1102 | 81 | 42 | 73 |
| Hauser & Wirth | 1/11/15 | 589 | 90 | 44 | 72 |
| Sexey’s School | 14/11/15 | 1252 | 62 | 37 | 66 |
| Cuckoo Hill | 28/11/15 | 869 | 54 | 35 | 69 |
| Shute Lane | 20/12/15 | 588 | 66 | 37 | 55 |
| Pitcombe | 3/1/16 | 979 | 79 | 41 | 72 |
| Hauser & Wirth | 16/01/16 | 754 | 72 | 39 | 58 |
| Shute Lane | 27/02/16 | 753 | 68 | 37 | 61 |
| Pitcombe * | 19/03/16 | 1356 | 76 | 41 | 66 |
| Shute Lane | 31/03/16 | 706 | 67 | 37 | 59 |
| Sexey’s School | 16/04/16 | 1319 | 50 | 35 | 75 |
* NB: Pitcombe data is for vehicles entering and leaving Bruton – the SID doesn’t record whether the vehicle is approaching or leaving the SID.
This is great, it would be super to have more speed watches on Quaperlake Street as the pavement is so narrow!
Thanks Molly
We will ask the police (who decide where Speedwatch should go) to look into your suggestion. They need to take into account the risks if cars brake sharply when they see the Speedwatch, and the risks to the Speedwatch volunteers.
Cllr James Hood
To Steve Turner
Can we please ask that Park road is checked particularly at school times we have speeding vehicles coming off the Cole road turning into Park road but also approaching the junction far to fast. We have children using the footpaths coming from and to Sexeys school also other going to park. The road narrows to single width. We also have large Hgvs which mount the pavement to turn into town. I have photographs to prove this happens.
Annette Pitman
Thanks Annette
I have asked Steve Turner to reply to you and to pass on your proposal to the police, who decide where Speedwatch should go. The police take into account both the risk to traffic if vehicles brake sharply and the risk to the Speedwatch volunteers.
Cllr James Hood
Thanks for raising highlighting these traffic issues Annette, Park Rd is currently not covered by Speedwatch or the SID radar. We will make an application to the police to suggest a site that we can use. Steve Turner
Thanks to the council for doing this.
One related comment: there are conflicting speed signs as vehicles enter Bruton from Cuckoo Hill. The signs at the edge of the road read 30mph (which, I suspect, is correct). However the limit painted on the road is 40mph. I’m sure lots of drivers are choosing the latter as preferable.
Could you have a look at this? Thanks.