A resident has aired frustrations about speeding and volume of traffic along Kenilworth Gardens and is supported by a local councillor, who is exploring solutions to tackle the wider issue across the town.
Mike Gorridge, has been complaining about the ‘speeding hotspot’ in Melksham where he lives, for the last 10 years.
The stretch of road became a 20mph zone in 2018, following the success of a project led by cllr Jon Hubbard to introduce 20mph restrictions in some areas of town. However, Mike says the issue has not improved.
He said, “The issue has not changed since I had a lot of conversations with cllr Jon Hubbard about speeding in 2018. People still continue to go well over the 20mph speed limit and at certain times of the day, it is uncomfortable to be out there. The road is used a lot by people going to and from the school, there’s speeding cars and there’s also lots of children in the road with their scooters, which feels like an accident waiting to happen.”
In 2020, the council invested in purchasing seven Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) to measure the speeds which people are driving. There was a SID located at Kenilworth Gardens, but this was only for temporary use.
Mike said, “I don’t think anyone really took notice of SID after a while. What I think should be installed is a parent and children sign.”
Echoing Mike’s concerns and planning to take action in reducing speeding across the town, alongside the work of Community Speedwatch, cllr Colin Goodhind said, “Speeding and traffic levels is a problem across the town generally and Mike is right to make a fuss. What I want to do as a councillor, is a survey with the community to find out how many people feel traffic and speeding is a problem. From there, I will take the data to the council to discuss and propose actions to be taken. I want to first establish the level of concern and go from there.
“Automated Community SpeedWatch cameras could be installed in places around the town. They register the speeds that people drive at and notify the police if drivers exceed the speed limit. They mimic the work the volunteers do. That’s one solution that could be effective and would complement what the volunteers already do.”
Striving to address traffic levels across Melksham in general, cllr Goodhind said, “Most of the traffic in the town doesn’t need to be there. You get the real feel for Melksham in the nice and quiet periods.”
Highlighting the efforts of cllr Jon Hubbard in implementing 20mph zones in parts across the town in recent years, cllr Colin Goodhind said, “The work Jon did must be recognised as he did a lot to get the 20mph zones introduced.”
