Castle Mead Residents' Blog

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