On 18 Nov 2015 at 10:08am Sick and Tired wrote:
Couple of old chaps (retired looks like) in high vis jackets at top of Malling Hill by school, with what looks like speed camera.
Are "community speed" volunteers able to issue tickets/points? I may have been going 34 mph rather than the 30 limit??
On 18 Nov 2015 at 10:32am Tango wrote:
No. Cannot issue tickets. You may get an advice letter from Plod. They may stick to the limit plus10% plus 3mph so sure you'll be ok.
On 18 Nov 2015 at 10:41am John Smith wrote:
"May have been"? Or definitely were breaking the speed limit in the vicinity of a school by a significant margin? If you were spotted by volunteers (rather than the police) it seems you are likely to be issued with a warning notice from the police, and your details will be recorded and held for a year. Good. Perhaps you'll be more careful next time.
The group is called Community Speedwatch. All power to them, if it stops drivers speeding, particularly at a time when cuts mean we simply don't have the police presence we need.
Check it out here »
On 18 Nov 2015 at 10:51am Sick and Tired wrote:
yeah right 4 mph over the speed limit...jesus...have you seen whats happening in the world...?
On 18 Nov 2015 at 12:36pm Ducatipete wrote:
Sick and tired you have obviously never taken an advanced driving or riding test otherwise you would stick within the limits. Plonker.
On 18 Nov 2015 at 12:51pm Another motorist wrote:
@ Sick and Tired
Sorry, no real excuse for speeding, esp around schools or in built up/residential areas etc, but many car speedometers tend to "over read" (a ploy to ensure that the car manufacturer can never be held liable if the driver is caught exceeding a speed limit - try comparing your car speedo with the speed shown by a decent GPS-based satnav, and you will probably find the speedo regularly shows a figure 3 or 4 mph faster than that shown on the more accurate Satnav), so even if your speedo said 34mph, you were probably doing less than that in reality - I wouldn't lose too much sleep over this mornings events.
Offending drivers caught by Speedwatch Volunteers may be reported to Sussex Plod, who may (or may not) issue warning letters along the lines of "Your vehicle was recorded as having been speeding at so and so location on so and so date. Don't do it again or we'll consider feelin' your collar".
In reality Plods are probably only likely to issue a letter, or take things further, if you are reported again within say 12 months.
However, perhaps you will now be a little more careful to keep within speed limits in future, in which case the busy-body volunteers have served their purpose...
@Sick and Tired, yep in the global scheme of things getting caught doing 34mph in a 30mph zone seems trivial, until a speedign motorist hits your small child, and your child is more seriously injured (or worse) than they would have been had the driver been doing 29-30mph.
On 18 Nov 2015 at 2:10pm Sick and Tired wrote:
and so how many of you stick to the 20 limit in town??
On 18 Nov 2015 at 4:08pm Clifford wrote:
Sick and Tired wrote: 'yeah right 4 mph over the speed limit...jesus...have you seen whats happening in the world...?'
Yes, idiots in their cars are killing more people than the terrorists. Still, just as ong as your comfortable, eh?
On 18 Nov 2015 at 4:38pm Old cynic wrote:
Speeding is a curse on that road it makes residents lives a nightmare and how no one has been killed is a miracle - the more letters from Plod the better!
On 18 Nov 2015 at 7:34pm Earl of Lewes wrote:
Can we also have a Slow-Watch for all those drivers who cause tailbacks when they tootle along at 35mph in a 60 zone?
But I agree that something needs to be done about boy racers speeding around residential areas in their clapped out BMWs. There's a young man that many of us will recognise - quite short, whose facial hair has never progressed beyond bumfluff - who loves revving his engine and speeding around corners. One day it will all end in tears. I'd rather prioritise people like him.
On 18 Nov 2015 at 9:07pm medic wrote:
Even four miles per hour over significantly increases the risk of being fatally injured.
On 18 Nov 2015 at 9:26pm Billy bob wrote:
We should take a leaf out of the Americans book. Shoot all the cameras out.
On 18 Nov 2015 at 11:16pm Mike wrote:
I totally agree Earl of Lewes. There's also a 50+ bloke who blasts around Lewes in a £200 Vectra (even with the got faster stripes it's still £200) with drum and bass blaring out the stereo who's clearly unaware he looks utterly ridiculous. I mean really hilarious.
On 19 Nov 2015 at 7:52am Sick and Tired wrote:
@medic: perhaps we should stop using cars altogether and then no-one will get injured by cars
On 19 Nov 2015 at 8:21am John Smith wrote:
Er, no. Just stick to the speed limit.
No-one's perfect: I know I've been guilty of going over the speed limit, although I try quite hard not to (and I do keep to 20 mph in town). I'm not objecting to that. I do object to your clear belief that it's trivial because worse things happen in the world. You haven't even been caught by a proper speed trap; you've been caught by a group of volunteers trying to get people to review how they drive on a road which is frequently subject to speeds well over the speed limit.
On 19 Nov 2015 at 9:13am bigger picture wrote:
Judging by the number of parked cars on the pavement and grass verges around this particular school at drop off and pick up time, I'd say the chances of a kid getting hit up by the main road (where there are traffic lights to cross) are virtually nil. As well as highlighting the speeders, can we focus on the equally dangerous (if not more so) parents who are abandoning their cars and forcing pedestrians onto the road and blocking visibility for other car users?
On 19 Nov 2015 at 12:18pm Local resident with kids wrote:
Clear Glass vans in Barn Road are a major hazard. they often park on the pavement filling up their water tanks in the morning forcing people into the road. I have thought about telling the council but doubt anything would be done
On 19 Nov 2015 at 6:18pm Chammy and ladder wrote:
Maybe the water board would be interested IF they are drawing from hydrants without a meter to pay the water co.
On 19 Nov 2015 at 8:33pm Crossing patrol wrote:
The chance of getting hit at the traffic lights on Malling Hill would be 'virtually nil' if cars always stopped when they're red. Sadly they regularly shoot through the red lights and I've had a couple of near misses when I've been crossing there. A couple of weeks ago somebody even managed to drive over the pavement, through the traffic light control box and onto the grass bank.
On 19 Nov 2015 at 10:41pm Tom wrote:
We need a police speed camera on Malling Hill for selfish drivers, boy racers, and some of the lorries that hurtle down the hill. Why haven't the Sussex police put one there? I'd like my council tax to go towards a fairer and more responsible use of the roads.
On 19 Nov 2015 at 10:45pm Gary wrote:
I don't think you should speed as driving too fast can be dangerous. Sometimes though you do need to get to somewhere fast and you may not have left enough time to get there.
Kind regards,
Gary
On 19 Nov 2015 at 10:58pm Tom wrote:
There is a particular issue with speeding in this area. It is a residential area, with increasing residential developments ( wheatsheaf, the Spinneys, Clayhills, Daveys Lane etc.), and there is only one proper pedestrian crossing by Mill Road only, although hopefully another on Malling Street early next year paid for by the Clayhill developers. I regularly see school kids, and adults, dashing across the road. I also see many vehicles that are going over the 30 mile per hour speed limit. If drivers are regularly going through red lights, we definitely need some form of effective enforcement. There really isn't any need to speed unless it's one of the emergency services, whose sirens give warning to pedestrians etc. the truth is that residents are having to risk their lives and this should not be necessary.
On 20 Nov 2015 at 1:02pm Earl of Lewes wrote:
@Gary - Words of wisdom. If only the other people on this forum were as perspicacious as you.
On 20 Nov 2015 at 7:44pm Gary wrote:
Dear Earl of Lewes,
What does perspicacious mean?
Kind regards,
Gary
On 20 Nov 2015 at 9:17pm Earl of Lewes wrote:
I think you know, you little tease.
On 21 Nov 2015 at 8:20pm John Silver wrote:
Arrgh Gary lad. I get a bit perspicacious in my galley, but not as much as when I take a tot of my home brewed rum. Aye and they pickled onions make 'ee sweat too.
On 22 Nov 2015 at 3:29pm Gary wrote:
I am sorry John but I don't understand what you mean.
Kind regards,
Gary