Market Drayton campaigners zap motorist speeding at 76mph on 30mph road

Market Drayton Road Safety Group said they have recorded thousands of drivers breaking the speed limit in Shrewsbury Road and Adderley Road in the town.

Chris Smith, acting chairman of the campaign group, said the figures were compiled for the town council and local police force.

He said: "We ask the public to tell us the hot spots and problem areas for speeding. We then put out our mobile flashing sign which captures traffic speed data in the areas indicated to us for two weeks. We analyse that data and give it to the town council and police.

Shropshire and Mid Wales have too many dangerous roads, both in rural and urban areas.

The transition between those, where 60mph limits suddenly fall to 40mph and 30mph, are areas of particular danger.

Police are insufficiently resourced to deal with this problem; they simply cannot be everywhere there is an issue.

But that does not mean nothing can be done.

Residents in Market Drayton are showing a great sense of community spirit in forming an action plan that tackles the issue head on.

They are working with other agencies to gather data showing the seriousness of the problem.

During a recent exercise, they found that one motorist was driving at a staggering 76mph in a 30mph zone. A collision with a pedestrian in such an area would have one highly probable outcome: death.

It is a sign of our times that community-minded residents are having to take responsibility for policing such matters.

"This is our fourth year and we are progressing well. Recently we have been working with the police force and have started having meetings with them bi-monthly in Market Drayton police station.

"We also have funds to buy another camera, as our other one is always in use. It is available for nearby villages to use – and that is what Woore and Loggerheads did.

"They thought it was such a good system they have now bought their own. It has really taken off and proved very popular."

Mr Smith said from the latest set of data, drivers were exceeding the 30mph speed limits.

He said: "We monitored Adderley Road and Shrewsbury Road recently. On Shrewsbury Road we recorded thousands of speeding cars.

"Last month on Adderley Road we recorded one driver doing 76mph."

Now Mr Smith is calling for greater public participation in identifying other speeding hot spots because it can be moved to different locations. He also said the committee needed more members.

He said: "It is up to the general public to feedback on if we are beneficial.

"Anyone with a speeding issue should contact the town council who will then get in touch with us. We are always open for people to tell us what areas to target. Then if we successfully prove there is a problem with speeding we can go back to the police with the data.

"The police have been very good in supporting the scheme recently and we hope to strengthen that partnership further."

He added: "We are currently looking for new members to join the group – anyone interested should let us know."

Speeding issues will be discussed at a meeting of Market Drayton Town Council's community and governance committee.

This will be held in the town hall on Frogmore Road tomorrow starting at 7.30pm. Members of the public are invited to attend.