Residents learn to use speed gun in bid to slow drivers
STEFAN JAJECZNYK
VILLAGE residents, fed-up with speeding motorists, have turned to a Community Road Watch (CRW) scheme in an attempt to crack down on dangerous behaviour.
Residents in Stanhill village say they often witness dangerous driving along Stanhill Lane, which has a speed limit of 30mph.
They say safety is a main concern, having witnessed people speeding and young people on motorbikes performing dangerous manoeuvres, such as wheelies.
The scheme, run in partnership with Lancashire Police, gives volun- teers specialist training and equipment in an attempt to combat dangerous driving in their communities.
Richard Hooper, secretary of the Stanhill Village Residents’ and Fete Committee, said: “We have a lot of people speeding through the village and we’ve been campaigning for years.
“We can’t have road humps due to emergency vehicles using the road as a direct route to Blackburn Hospital, and we cannot have speed cameras, so we invited the police to help.”
Groups of volunteers, working in pairs, record the speed and registration of the offending cars, and pass this information to the police, who work in partnership with the CRW.
Richard added: “It’s not 100 per cent effective, and we can’t do it all the time, but it’s a scheme that needs to happen.”
Committee members and residents met with representatives from CRW and Lancashire police last month and received training on how to use the speed gun.
Village resident Malcolm Broughton, who took part, said: “We have people who, unfortunately, think it’s OK to drive at 40, 50 or 60 miles an hour.
“You have to be careful where you cross the road, as there are some bends where the whole road isn’t entirely visible.”
He also said that he felt the best deterrent would be a speed camera on this stretch of the road and that the existing speed signs were not effective.
John Aizlewood, volunteer CRW coordinator, said: “Like other areas, the residents of Stanhill have had problems with speeding motorists.
“In this case we have worked alongside the residents’ association with the expectation that they will set up their own team.”
He added that while their remit is educational only, they do send warning letters to those who are spotted driving too fast or without a seatbelt.