Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Just one speeder caught in 4 years
A CAMPAIGNER has hit out at police after it emerged just one driver has been caught speeding on his street in more than four years.
Information obtained by the Tele revealed that one motorist has been caught speeding on Johnston Avenue since 2012.
That’s despite repeated claims from residents that drivers regularly speed on the street — a campaign that has now led to the council piloting a permanent 20mph speed limit on the road.
A lower speed limit is already in place during school hours.
Police Scotland would not reveal the age or gender of the driver in case it identified them — and details of the speed the motorist was caught at have also not been disclosed.
But Derek Paton, who has headed up the campaign at Johnston Avenue for several years, insisted the low number was due to the street not being given enough attention by the authorities.
He said: “I believe the authorities are turning a blind eye to speeding in the street because of the low number of traffic incidents there have been.
“Drivers definitely do speed in the area and we are now campaigning to have permanent, speed-activated cameras as well as number plate recognition technology.
“There is a points system which police use to determine how much of a presence they have in a street and, although we do have a problem in Johnston Avenue, we do not reach the points total necessary.
“Basically it is a case that two people would have to be killed to take us close to the points total.”
Mr Paton said that around 7,000 vehicles used the street each day, and added: “As well as the safety issues, there is considerable noise generated by that level of traffic, especially at higher speeds. There are two schools in the street — St John’s and Kingspark — and there are all the safety issues connected with drivers speeding past schoolchildren.”
Jimmy Black, a councillor for the area, said police did have a presence in the street but said the visibility of officers usually led to drivers slowing down.
He added: “I would like to see technology being used to address the issue.
“I would like the 20mph limit in the street to be extended and I would also like to see a sign that tells motorists what speed they are travelling at — these signs have been proven to be effective.”
A police spokeswoman said: “Road safety continues to remain a priority for Tayside Division and officers regularly conduct patrols in Dundee and carry out operations to target those who commit road traffic offences.
“This includes focusing on offences such as speeding, drink or drug driving or using a mobile phone.
“Officers will continue to take action to improve road safety and ask that anyone who has concerns about other road users report it to us.”