The Town Council Approves Reactive Speed Signs

October 21st 2015

As regular readers will be aware, I now sit on the town and district council, so I don't do regular lengthy town council reports any more. So this post won't be full of quotes, or a detailed rundown of what went on. But every once in a while meaty decisions get made, and on Tuesday 20th October the town council met at Sessions House and discussed something that will impact the whole town.

Reactive speed signs

One of the most important items on the agenda was the purchase of reactive speed signs. I've spoken to hundreds of people in Louth who have told me how important it is to them that the council does something about speeding. This is especially marked on St Bernard's Avenue. However, people have also mentioned the issue on Monks Dyke Road, Broadley Crescent, Abbey Road, and various other locations in Trinity ward. My partner David Hall, town councillor for North Holme ward, has heard especially from people on Brackenborough Road about this issue.

That's just the feedback from two wards: speeding is a huge concern for many people in Louth, although these concerns cluster a great deal around the town's main arteries.

So the proposal before the town council was to purchase two reactive speed signs. The council had a choice between signs that simply flash up your speed, and ones that also record vehicles speed. I argued strongly in favour of getting the more expensive versions. This will allow the council to capture data on which locations experience the most traffic, and this information can be shared with the county council and the Road Safety Partnership. It will help the council to make better decisions about where to implement other traffic calming measures.

Alongside the cameras, there will also be 15 brackets for the signs. This is because they can't stay in one place for very long because people get used to them, so they have to be rotated.

The total cost of this project will be £5011, which is £11 over budget but that can easily be covered. It has been made possible by grants from county councillors Sarah Dodds and John Hough, who each contributed £1000 from their Big Society Funds.

I'm really pleased this scheme is going ahead. Widespread concerns about speeding came across loud and clear on the doorstep this year, and I think these signs will contribute to increased safety and peace of mind.