Village Speeding

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Are you one of the people who always drives along our road in a rush every morning? Or maybe one of the young drivers who zoom up and down every evening between 6 and 8 pm, on their way to leave tyre marks and litter by the substation on Ladock Road? If so:

I hope you don't hit a cat. Another cat, that is. I hope you don't hit a dog. Another dog, that is. I hope you don't hit any wildlife - deer have recently been seen on this road. I hope you don't hit a horse - a lot of riders have to use this stretch. I hope you don't hit a person, especially a parent pushing a buggy. I hope you don't hit a child walking or cycling to or from school. I hope you don't hit me. That's a lot to hope for, and I don't feel very hopeful.

I live on Chapel Street, which has a 20 mph limit between the junction with Fore Street all the way past the school and the driveway to Lamellyn. There is no pavement on half of this street despite the school and the 20 plus houses, so pedestrians are forced to walk in the road.

Instead of us all having to hope, what about you slowing down to BELOW 20mph, as that is the maximum legal limit?

Marilyn Joyce, Chapel Street

Opinions on speeding

Opinion one:

Exercise is good for us. For most people, the cheapest and most accessible form of exercise is walking. Many people in Probus walk daily, some to the shops and village amenities while others ‘go round the block’ with their dog. However, a looming danger hides in plain sight - the speeding motorist.

It seems to have become a bit more of a problem recently, especially at the main entrance and exit routes. The specific areas of concern appear to be Chapel Street and Ladock Road, St Austell Road at the eastern end of the village, and leaving the village towards Truck Hill. These roads have either a 30 mph or 20 mph speed limit, which unfortunately some people choose to ignore.

We have heard of cats and dogs killed, especially on Chapel Street. Many have witnessed nearmisses at the junction with Carne View Road or seen cars flying through tight spots in their rush down Fore Street towards Truro. Is there a serious accident waiting to happen? It could be a child, older person crossing the road, or even you.

Probus Parish Council (or Highways department) have already installed speed bumps along Fore Street, a chicane arrangement on St Austell Street as well as one fixed and one mobile speed indicator. A 30 mph limit exists in most of the village with a 20 mph limit in Chapel Street, Ladock Road, and parts of Tregony Road, which only work when people adhere to them. Clearly some don’t.

Is there interest in approaching the council for further monitoring of traffic volume and speed? Are we confident that all of our councillors accept the issue? Do we ask our overstretched local police to help with a more significant presence at speeding hotspots?

If you have a positive suggestion, then write to the magazine or attend the next parish council meeting. Ensure that your experiences are heard and your views understood. Let ‘village peoplepower’ be the catalyst for change.

So, are you interested in helping to make the village streets safer for everyone, and what will you do about it?

Thanks for reading.

Opinion two:

There appears to me to be four options to address the issue of speeding in the village:

1. Deterrence and enforcement

2. Physical means: chicanes, speed bumps etc.

3. Technology solutions (using electronic/software within our vehicles)

4. Bring about a social change of attitude

Option 1 involves campaigning for speed cameras or a more significant police presence around the village hot spots. Option 2 involves campaigning for expenditure to physically slow traffic through the village. Option 3 means waiting for technology in vehicles that will prevent cars from driving over the designated speed limit. This is closer to reality than many people may realise. Arguably option 4 is the only one that each and every one of us can directly influence.

Option 4 involves us having open and honest conversations with the car drivers in our families or social groups, specifically talking about the issue of speeding in our village.

But this is not just a Probus issue. It’s all well and good preaching about driving at 20 mph through Probus but not if you then drive at 38 mph through Grampound Road or Tregony High St.

Peer pressure can be harnessed to make speeding in residential areas as socially unacceptable as driving under the influence of drink or drugs or not wearing a seat belt. We can all influence this.

Rather than expecting someone else to fix the problem, why not start talking about it?