Community campaigners are aiming to tackle speeding traffic throughout Middleton and Belle Isle.
Local resident Geoff Byers, who is Chair of the Aberfield and Newhalls Residents Association, schoolchildren, parents and a team of volunteers have expressed concern at the high speeds vehicles are reaching, especially on Newhall Road, New Forest Village and Middleton Town Street, mostly at rush hour times.
Local residents and children are especially worried about this problem during the school holidays, and these issues were discussed at length at community meetings.
The Kill Your Speed campaign group hopes to highlight this issue and make people aware of the need to reduce their speeds, and to encourage more enforcement of local speed limits.
Children, teachers, parents and other volunteers have been out on the streets with posters and flyers, and are working hard with councillors, highways staff and local police to make the streets of Middleton and Belle Isle safer for everyone.
Kill Your Speed campaign organiser Geoff Byers said:
“We have been fighting hard for a number of years to make people adhere to local speed limits and to get more done to make the streets safer in the area.
“By working with the public, the council and the police, we hope to make people aware of the consequences of speeding and make the area a safer place for everyone. Our thanks go to Councillor Groves and her colleagues for their continued support.”
Councillors Kim Groves, Judith Blake and Paul Truswell (Labour, Middleton Park) have supported the work of local volunteers to raise awareness of the campaign in the area.
Cllr Groves has been out campaigning with the volunteers and has praised them for their work. She said:
“I am proud to support these efforts to reduce speeding in Middleton and Belle Isle.
“Geoff Byers and the other volunteers are doing an excellent job to raise awareness of this important issue, and it was great to go out on the streets with them and speak to the community.
“The group has established strong ties with highways staff and the police and we will fight to ensure instances of speeding reduce.”
What do you think? Have your say in the comments section below.
Was on town street again yesterday when a youth on a motor bike raced passed me in my car, no helmet probably no tax or insurance.
This was happening when police were already dealing with an accident just off town street. The police would have seem him shoot by, but because dealing with an incident would not have been able to do anything about it.
These youths know the police can do nothing, as when they start chasing them they go off road into the park.
By the time park rangers are called they’ve long gone.
I honestly do not know the answer to this one.
It’s about time something was done about speeders on Middleton Lane down towards Thorpe too. This road is like a race track at times… not policed enough by the road traffic teams. At weekends motorbikers use it as part of a circuit loop that takes in Tingley, East Ardsley, Middleton. On a night, it’s deadly with many just booting it all the way from the Falconers Rest (Middleton end) and the M62 road bridge at Thorpe at the other end. Traffic police would have a turkey shoot if they set up shop on an evening.
It is the same in West Grange Road. At peak times its very bad but also during the day. The police did say so do a survey on the speed some two years ago and they said the average speed was 23 miles per hour. Nobody goes up this Road at that speed, only if you are walking perhaps.