Slow down...how council plans to put brakes on A52 bypass speeders
TOWN councillors are eyeing up speed-indicator devices for various points around Ashbourne – and they have even discussed a device being installed on the A52 bypass.
The devices, similar to those currently set up in two locations in Hulland Ward, would set the council back up to £2,500 each plus a £100 licensing fee which would go to Derbyshire County Council.
Councillors discussed a list of the roads in the town they felt would benefit from drivers being reminded of their speed, in a bid to compile a list, which will be explored further in the coming months.
The Green Road and Belper Road were the two residential streets which councillors felt were most in need of speed measures, which Mayor Martin Spencer, chairing the meeting, said would be “looked into seriously”.
And, despite complications, Councillor Anthony Bates was the first to suggest that a speed indicating device would be hugely beneficial in bringing down speeds on the A52 bypass.
He said: “The one place I would like to see it is on the bypass. The speed people are going up that bypass is absolutely ridiculous.
“And it’s an accident waiting to happen.”
Councillor Brown agreed, referring to a fatal accident on the road earlier this year.
She said: “I support what Councillor Bates has just said, that the speed the traffic is going up is ridiculous, the accident there just doesn’t seem to have slowed anybody down.”
It was pointed out to the councillors that speed indicators are being offered to parish and town councils to be used on 30mph roads, and that the bypass is classified under the national highways network.
The detecting devices in Hulland Ward record and report data, and in recent months one of the two devices set up in Main Road, clocked a car going at more than 90mph. Large percentages of motorists were clocked above the 30mph speed limit.
Powered by batteries or solar panels, the units are attached to lamp posts and are activated by the movement of vehicles approaching. Some devices, like the ones in Hulland Ward, give motorists a clear readout of their speed, while others just light up with a “slow down” message if cars are going too fast.
Councillors agreed to look into the devices further, with a view to placing them in The Green Road and Belper Road, and the council will also enquire as to whether it will be possible to place devices on the bypass.
The speed people are going up that bypass is absolutely ridiculous...it’s an accident waiting to happen Cllr Anthony Bates