Page 16 - Thrapston Life October 2022

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REVIEW ON SPEED WATCH
You may have noticed a Community Speedwatch team operating in Thrapston during the month of August. Community Speedwatch is a partnership initiative between Northamptonshire Police and Thrapston Town Council. Thrapston
Town Council responded to resident complaints about speeding motorists by requesting to join this partnership. After
the Council enlisted eight volunteers to provide Speedwatch teams, Northants Police provided equipment and signage in late July.
The Thrapston Speedwatch Team ran 14 sessions, totalling over 18 hours in different locations. During these sessions, the Speedwatch Team caught 209 people going at least 35mph in areas with a posted speed limit of 30mph. 32 of the motorists caught were going 40mph or more and 8 were travelling
at 45mph or more. The Team even caught 6 drivers twice during the month. The fastest recorded speed was 53mph on Oundle Road and 46mph on Huntingdon Road (on the narrowest part of the road, by Funky Lil’ Feet). Speeding such as this is inexcusable.
After each session, the Speedwatch coordinator compiled the recorded information (location, time, speed, make, model, colour and registration plate of
the vehicle) and provided this to the Northamptonshire Police Speedwatch Team. After running the information through the DVLA database, Northamptonshire Police will issue warning notices to registered owners of these vehicles. Any driver caught travelling
at 45mph or faster will receive a personal visit from the Northamptonshire Police Speedwatch Team.
Many of the people who saw the Speedwatch Team in action provided positive feedback with a friendly wave, thumbs-up or a shout of support. It’s obvious that most people
want speeding in Thrapston to end. This was the first time that Thrapston
Town Council has been able to find enough volunteers to operate a Speedwatch Team, but it won’t be the last. The volunteers could see the positive effect they were having over the course of the month and are eager to schedule another Speedwatch session soon.
The purpose of the Community Speedwatch program is to help Northamptonshire Police keep Thrapston’s roads safe for all road users, including motorists, cyclists, mobility scooter operators, pedestrians and others. If you want to volunteer to help us achieve this sensible goal, please contact Deputy Clerk, Margaret Ward, at assistantclerk@thrapstontowncouncil. gov.uk. Volunteering for Speedwatch doesn’t mean making a big time commitment. Some volunteers were only able to do one or two sessions due to other commitments, and we appreciate the time they were able to give.
We can tailor your participation to suit your requirements.
Speeding is a waste of fuel, a burden on the environment and a safety hazard for others. The few seconds saved by speeding through the town isn’t worth any of those things and won’t be tolerated.