Lib Dem action on Beech Road traffic speeds

Residents tell us frequently that they are concerned about road traffic speeds, particularly on roads such as Beech Road, Sandridge Road and Valley Road. Cllr Helen Campbell is delighted to have been able to allocate funding from her county council highways locality budget to pay for a speed indicator device (SID) on Beech Road.

SIDs, or ‘smiley faces’, are charged by solar power and while they don’t stop speeding or trigger fines to speeding motorists, their presence does discourage those tempted to break the speed limit (30mph on Beech Road).

Located close to the junction with Marshall Avenue, this was installed and came into operation in early October.

"Worries about traffic speeds rate highly on a lot of residents’ concerns and we really wanted to address this,” said Helen. “Parts of Beech Road can be especially fast in the evenings when the road empties, especially on the approach round the bend towards the Ancient Briton.

“The SID has been positioned according to the advice of highways engineers and we hope it will deter people who are breaking the speed limit by flashing their speed, rewarding them with a smiley face when they reduce to 30mph or below.”