When I went to Desford with a survey, I found that many residents are worried about speeding traffic and road safety more generally. I'm not surprised! Just while I was there I saw two cars going at least 10mph over the speed limit, and one motorist who cut very close to a parent and child on a bicycle. I have found similar concerns in several villages in Leicestershire and Rutland. Speeding is a major problem in some areas and needs to be dealth with firmly.
It is no comfort that the number of casualties on UK roads has been falling for decades, from 6,352 killed on the roads in 1979 to 1,784 in 2017. Over the past four yeas years that decline has halted. That is bad enough, but if you live in one of the villages with a real speedng and road safety problem then things are even worse.
I would like to see the Leicestershire Police :
- Give proper priority to speeding and dangerous driving;
- Work with the County, District and Parish councils to identify key danger points and take appropriate action;
- Continue to work with the Road Safety Partnership to prioritise the Fatal Four Strategy;
- Co-operate with Neighbourhood Watch and Parish Councils to identify problem areas;
- Build on the Community Speed Watch programme, especially in rural areas, targetting repeat offenders;
- Target problem stretches of road with randomised police visits to result in prosecutions which will be publicised locally to act as deterrents, ensuring that there are no roads where it is thought safe to speed or drink-drive;
- Work with our partners to ensure appropriate traffic regulations such as speed limits, speed cameras and road designs as well as appropriate signage.
