Castle Mead Residents' Blog

The number of cars, motorbikes, vans and HGVs unable to stop at the pedestrian crossing and the roundabout opposite the Castle Mead School continues to rise due to excessive speeds, endangering the lives of pedestrians going to and from the school, the Co-Op store and the new playground (when completed). Fact, if someone is hit by a car at: 20 mph they are 10% more likely to be killed 30 mph they are 50% more likely to be killed 40 mph they are 90% more likely to be killed At the June 2017 Area Board Meeting at Wiltshire Council, it was announced that Leap Gate met the Community SpeedWatch threshold and that Castle Mead is eligible for the Community SpeedWatch scheme. Volunteer training will be carried out in the next few months. If any Castle Mead residents are interested in joining the Leap Gate Community SpeedWatch team, please contact Wiltshire Police at communityspeedwatch@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk Despite raising these issues with them at numerous meetings,

Wiltshire Council has proposed the installation of double-yellow lines along Leap Gate (Castle Mead) and side roads with "No waiting at anytime", reference LJB/TRO/TROW5. This proposal was advertised in the Wiltshire Times on 12th May 2017 and the consultation period ended on 5th June 2017. THE COUNTY OF WILTSHIRE (TROWBRIDGE) (PROHIBITION AND RESTRICTION OF WAITING, TAXI RANK CLEARWAYS AND ON STREET PARKING) CONSOLIDATION ORDER 2015 (AMENDMENT NO.5) ORDER 2017 The Council of the County of Wiltshire in exercise of its powers under Sections 1, 2, 4, 32, 35, 53 and Part IV of Schedule 9 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (hereinafter referred to as “the Act of 1984”) as amended and the Traffic Management Act 2004 (hereinafter referred to as “the Act of 2004”) as amended and of all other enabling powers and after consultation with the Chief Officer of Police in accordance with Part III of Schedule 9 to the Act of 1984 hereby makes the following Order. 1. The Count

The results of the MetroCount survey carried out in March 2017 were presented at the Area Board Meeting at County Hall on the 1st of June 2017. Martin Aldam, Senior Transport Planner, presented the survey results, including those for Leap Gate. The total number of HGVs and LGVs using Leap Gate during the MetroCount survey: Leap Gate  A               Leap Gate B LGV = 1,742                 LGV = 1,792 HGV = 13                     HGV = 11 Criteria for the MetroCount survey: The 85th percentile is the speed at which 85% of the traffic is travelling at or below. The thresholds for interventions in a 30mph speed limit are: 30 to 35mph     = No Further Action (NFA) 35.1 to 42 mph = Eligible for Community SpeedWatch Over 42 mph    = Subject to Police enforcement Community SpeedWatch does not operate in any speed limit above 40mph.                                                 Average  85th %ILE   Speed Limit   Action  Leap Gate B3106 (A) Northbound            

On the 1st of June 2017, a number of residents from Castle Mead estate attended the Area Board Meeting at County Hall. Once again, although we had repeatedly been promised that we were scheduled to be on the agenda to make our presentation, we found that this was not so. The Chairman indicated again that we could present our case at the next meeting. Some of the points we wanted to raise: Speeding This is still a major problem along Leap Gate, and in fact, speeding and antisocial driving are on the increase. The vast majority of motorists are exceeding the 30mph speed limit when coming out of the 50mph zone and are failing to stop at the pedestrian crossing and roundabout because they are travelling too fast. What is even more worrying is the sheer number of HGVs that fail to slow down when approaching the crossing and roundabout, especially as they take longer to stop than a smaller vehicle. There appears to be no concentrated effort by Wiltsh

On the 10th of November 2016, a number of residents from Castle Mead and Paxcroft Mead estates attended the Area Board Meeting at County Hall. The following requests were made at the meeting: We asked for: speed cameras and the implementation of traffic-calming along Leap Gate, now a very busy road running through the heart of two family estates, Castle Mead and Paxcroft Mead. the 50mph speed limit to be lowered to 40mph and for the enforcement of that speed limit as HGVs and other vehicles are exceeding the speed limit along that stretch of Leap Gate. the 50/30mph interface to be re-sited to the start of the development as houses become visible to motorists where the balancing pond is situated and the crash barrier ends, as per DfT guidelines. This would allow motorists more time to slow down to 30mph before reaching the pedestrian crossing and the roundabout. the enforcement of the 30mph speed limit, especialy the section leading to the pedestrian crossing and rounda

Strong Support for the Reduction of Speed Along the Newly-Opened Section of Leap Gate. Our online petition calling for a reduction in speed along the newly-opened section of road along Leap Gate, Trowbridge, has reached over 500 signatures within the first few weeks of going live. Set up by residents of Castle Mead, the Persimmon Homes and Charles Church development south of Paxcroft Mead, the petition calls for a lowering in speed limit from 50mph to 40mph, and the re-siting of the 30mph speed-limit sign further down the road to incorporate all the housing along Leap Gate. Although the road has only been open a couple of months, residents living along the main section have witnessed numerous cars driving at excessive speeds both in and out of the estate, with reports, most worryingly, of cars running through the red pedestrian lights. Local residents liken the newly-opened road to “Castle Combe circuit”. “Drivers are completely ignoring the speed limit, racing down the road at spee

There are three national speed limits set by the UK Government:   30 mph on lit roads (sometimes referred to as Restricted Roads) 60 mph on single carriageways 70 mph on dual carriageways and motorways  Local authorities can, at their discretion, set road speed limits at 20mph, 40mph and 50mph, as they see fit. Wiltshire residents' experience of local Highways' discretionary setting of speed limits is one of totally inconsistent speeds being set all over the county, including many changes in speed along one stretch of road. This leads to motorists ignoring the lower speed limits and continuing to drive at the higher speed along the same stretch of road. As the level of policing on our roads and the number of working speed cameras further diminish, it is even more vital for Wiltshire Council to set speed limits responsibly, and to listen to residents' concerns when they are not. The government's drive to reduce road accidents (vehicle and pedestri