FAULTY batteries has been given as the reason why new speed indicator devices (SIDs) have “disappeared” from across the town.
The electronic signs, which encourage drivers to slow down when driving over the speed limit, were installed in September last year in six speeding “hot spots’ – Spa Road, King Street, Semington Road, Snowberry Lane, Sandridge Road, and Lowbourne.
However, shortly after installation, the SIDs were removed – and now Melksham Town Council has explained that a fault with the batteries – which meant they weren’t recharging – is to blame.
Responding to a question from a member of the public about what had happened to the SIDs, the town council’s locum admin assistant, Jeff Mills, explained, “The bottom line is that the SIDs aren’t working properly, that’s why they came down. We had problems with the batteries – they wouldn’t recharge, and they kept going off, within as short as 24/36 hours.
“We’ve had back and forths with the manufacturers, which has resulted in repeated promises and misleading claims about their batteries – they said they would be sending us batteries months ago.
“We’ve asked them to either sort it out, refund us, or we’ll move on to legal action.”
A seventh SID that was to be rotated between the Kenilworth Gardens estate, Coronation Road and Ruskin Avenue – which are 20mph zones – was never installed due to repeated delays by the manufacturer.
The town council proposed to install the SIDs in response to concern from residents about speeding in the town.
If functioning correctly, the devices would have recorded the number of vehicles passing through the area and their speeds, allowing the town council to collect evidence about the effectiveness of the scheme, and also help advise the police about where and when speeding enforcement may be most effective.
