I am a little late replying to Mr Bown’s mail, as I had hoped to catch up with him before replying. I felt his letter was more of a rant about the police for not spending a lot of their time monitoring speeding at Whaplode St Catherines.
The Village Hall Committee has close contact with the local councillors, and have raised the question of some gross excesses of speed and the danger to the community. It is not true to say nothing has been done. There is a Speed Indicator Device (SID) which is present on the eastern approaches to the centre of the village. This is shared with another parish, so spends about two months at WSC, till the battery is exhausted. I usually help a councillor take the unit down for recharging when it goes elsewhere till next charged.
A speed camera team was stationed near the crossroads, but the “catch” was not worth the time.
However, catching those who speed is not going to stop the worst and most dangerous offenders. Anyone keeping to the 40 limit is likely to be overtaken at high speed. I have in mind a time when I was proceeding along Ravens Bank at around 40 and was overtaken by an idiot at probably over 70, at the crooked crossroads, where visibilty is difficult at the best of times. The VW Golf driver was unperturbed as he was on his mobile at the time. If anyone had turned out of the two parts of Cranesgate there would have been a major incident. That would perhaps have brought the police, but too late to help the victims.
So please remember that there are those who do take the matter seriously, including local councillors.
I am no lover of the police, nor some aspects of local councils, but just ranting about this will not help.
David Blaxter
Whaplode St Catherine
