Speed enforcement to continue on St Martin’s Road in Gobowen

The speed enforcement site launched in October 2011 as part of the Safer Roads Partnership’s Community Concern programme, which responds to community requests for speed enforcement. When the site launched there was a significant speed compliance problem and 15% of vehicles were travelling above 38.4mph along the 30mph road. Although speeds have reduced slightly, there is still a compliance issue – particularly with vehicles travelling towards St Martin’s.

Anna Higgins, Communications Manager at the Safer Roads Partnership said “Community concern sites are set up for an initial period of six months. We then carry out further analysis to see what’s happened. If speeds have reduced, we come out of the area. If not, we will stay there. In Gobowen, 15% of drivers travelling towards St Martin’s are still exceeding 36.8mph and data suggests that almost 80% of offenders are from the Shropshire area. We will continue to target this road with our speed enforcement vehicles in a bid to bring speeds down even further, as we have done in other areas, which will improve the safety of the road for all those who use it.”

Councillor Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member responsible for road safety, said “I hope that this mobile enforcement site will encourage people to slow down. It’s important that drivers observe the speed limits to keep themselves and others safe, and to consider the effect speeding has on the quality of life for the communities they drive through.”

Councillor David Lloyd, local member for the Selattyn & Gobowen area, said “Residents, especially parents, will welcome the extension to this speed enforcement site as it is close to a major unmanned crossing point between large housing estates on one side and the Gobowen Primary School on the other. There has been a perceptible improvement in driver behaviour on this busy route into the village but too many drivers are still failing to heed the well-signed speed limit.”