With increased traffic on our roads, the Parish Council is increasingly concerned about speeding through our villages especially in areas where there are limited footpaths. The first step in more active measures to reduce speeding came with the installation of an Auto Speedwatch Camera placed in the Startley 30mph zone.

The camera photographs and records ALL speeding vehicles in a northbound direction and data is passed to the Wiltshire Police team.

A warning sign was installed at the Seagry end of the village on the 30mph sign and the camera is mounted on the same pole as the vehicular activated speed indicator sign, so the motorist has two reminders as to the correct speed limit – so there should be no excuses for speeding.

The camera, in effect, replaces the long-suffering volunteers trying to persuade speeding motorists to respect the speed limit and it works dawn till dusk, not 30 minutes per day.

Each month the device registers between 2,700 and 3,200 vehicle movements on the northbound carriageway through Startley. Annualised, this then equates to c.36,000 vehicle movements per year through the village (northbound) and extrapolates to c.72,000 vehicle movements in total through Startley (north and southbound).

Even with the camera and warning signs in place, recent data shows that only 14% of motorists are within the posted 30mph speed limit through the village, and almost 10% of motorists exceed 40mph. More concerningly a great number of these vehicles are commercial vans and trucks using the road – many of which are regular visitors to the camera.

Given the poor adherence to the speed limit, the Parish Council is now looking at further measures to reduce speed through the village of Startley and is also looking to target key spots in the village of Great Somerford.

None of the parish residents should have to be subjected to this very dangerous practice and we continue to ask that all vehicle drivers obey the speed limit.

Andrew Lennox

Councillor of Great Somerford (incorporating Startley).