to want traffic to obey the 30mph speed limit outside our house.

[Pallando]

Just that really. We live on a B road on the edge of a small village. Traffic rarely obeys the speed limit (when I drive through at 30 I often get someone right up my arse/overtaking unsafely) and by the time it passes us is often travelling at 50mph or more.

I am a bit fed up of the attitudes about this. The PCSO asked me where I had lived before (large village / small town) and then said "Urban people are always surprised by the speeding when they come here". Other people have said things like "it's always been like that", "It used to be a 40 till recently" (if they were obeying 40 it would be a start). I have also had an email from the Police basically saying that they are too busy doing important things instead.

The worst bit is that there is no footpath for the first 150-ish m of journey on our walk to school, and a lot of the verge is difficult to walk on (ditches, holes, 3 foot high nettles in summer). Also in the summer the crops in the field opposite our house are well over 8ft high, so the speeding cars cannot see round the corner.

I don't think IABU, but some of the attitudes I have come across makes me think some people think I am a whinging newcomer. Needed a rant.

[NutellaLawson]

Part of the problem is the way roads are designed. A stretch of road that's 40mph looks no different than 30, so lazy minded motorists don't properly register that they ought to be going slower. Nothing in their environment tells them to (unlike, say, city streets with pavements, shops and street lights). The little round sign tells them 30 but it doesn't register PROPERLY in all those subconscious places.

In France, by comparison, you might be driving along a main road, then, as you reach a village, raised flowerbeds are set up as a shikane there is often a cobbled strip in the centre of the road (at the dashed line) to narrow the road and this seems a much clearer signal to the motorists that this is where people LIVE, not just another strip of main road on your journey.

I think many motorist just think a village as being nothing more than a few houses on their journey abs to THEM its a main road to get somewhere.

So I think it needs to be tackled from a psychological angle.

I'm not saying they don't know it's 30 I just think it needs to register deeper and it FEEL wrong to be going faster on this stretch of road.

[dexter73]

Where I live a lot of the villages use the Community Speedwatch programme. Do you have something similar in your area?

[Seeline]

It's not just rural places - I live on a main road in the south London burbs. I think it is a C road, and it is a bus route. It is definitely residential though, with lots of on street parking, because of a station up the road. There is a huge bend at the bottom, and I live about 100m up from that - people tear round the corner at 40+. It's virtually impossible to get in and out of my drive at rush hour times. And the filthy looks people give you if you dare to hold the traffic up by actually trying to access your own property! We occasionally have police with speed guns, and we've got the signs that flash up peoples speeds, but it doesn't seem to have much effect.

[BathtimeFunkster]

Roll on self-driving cars that will automatically obey the speed limit.

People are too selfish and stupid to be put in charge of such dangerous machines.

[RiverTam]

could you request one of those smiley dot matrix speed limit signs? The ones that flash up a happy face/sad face and your speed?

[CatThiefKeith]

Someone in my old village had a similar problem and made a scarecrow dressed in a high viz holding a black baton.

It looked enough like a policeman holding a speed camera at 60mph to make them slow down.

It's not there anymore, I think the police made them take it down, but people still drive a bit slower round that bend.

Crops opposite you say?

[richthegreatcornholio]

you request one of those smiley dot matrix speed limit signs? The ones that flash up a happy face/sad face and your speed?

Problem with those is that people see them as a challenge.

[Pallando]

It is quite a wide open bit of road (at least in part), so I can understand that it doesn't look like 40 (apart from the signs saying 30, including big ones written on the road). I agree that road engineering is a solution //Nutella (and I like the sound of the French scheme), problem is that apparently that has to be paid for by the Parish Council and it being a small village they don't have a lot of money. They think they might be able to find a £10k grant (which buys very little - e.g. 2 sets of speed cushions would be in excess of £15K). I found a whole load of flashy smilely sign things //RiverTam (which seemed to be more reasonably priced) but for some reason the Highways agency was coming up with a figure of almost £10 for one of those, The copper who came out said they don't do much good anyway.

I know that the village has used community speedwatch before, but for some reason they decided that it wasn't working - I am going to chase this up with the Parish Council - was hoping to bump into the chair again but might have to email instead.

I do like the scarecrow idea!

[wednesdaysocks]

I live on a residential road, parking on both sides, 20mph because there's a school about 3/4 of the way down and speed bumps all the way along it. Hardly anyone obeys the speed limit and it is definitely not a new thing- the speed bumps are useless as they appear to be slightly narrower than the norm (2 bumps side by side) and vehicles can just drive straight over them. There's no crossing on the road at all, yet it is a main access road to the school and because of the lack of parking restrictions and number of builders yards, mechanics and scaffolders, there are vans and lorries dotted along making it impossible to cross safely a lot of the time. Thinking about it, I'm actually amazed there haven't been more accidents

[BumWad]

I know how you feel op however there is lots going on in my area to try and slow people down.

I live on a 30mph on the edge of a village however people tend to do around 40mph pas our house. There is a speed camera just before our property and a your speed light up sign afterwards, we seem to be in the bit inbetween!

I have ring the police a few times after which they placed a mobile speed camera just opposite our property. I know most of the residents complain too. They are proposing building a new housing estate opposite is which will give our part of the main road a more urban feel - I am hoping this will slow down motorists even more.

[Pallando]

And thanks everyone!

With the smilely signs, I think some people do take them as a challenge, I seem to remember reading somewhere that in some speedwatch schemes which has speed indicators, they were programmed not to show speeds in excess of 60mph because some people liked to see how high they could get it .

I do a lot of glaring at drivers. At least at the moment I can still carry my youngest on my back (ergo, so free hands), I don't like to think about what it will be like walking two kids (and their bags) to school.

[Medoc]

YANBU there are 20mph signs outside a local school, that tell you how fast you're going. I have seen 43mph in my rearview mirror from tossers who just don't care that they could hit children and kill them.
nothing gets done because there's no Bobby in the beat any more observing them.

[ghostyslovesheep]

Yanbu I drive through a similar area on my way to work - 60 - 30 - 40 - 30 - 40 - 60 ( through two villages) I have people angrily up my arse most of the way - I've been road raged twice - just for doing the correct speed x

[TooMuchRain]

We get this a lot too, on a residential street that people cut down to enter the town. In our case a speed camera would be enough to remind people that they are now driving past people's house but the council refuse, I have no idea why...

Lovebathtime's idea of self-driving cars to solve this!

[Pallando]

[BumWad] I want a speed camera too .

[Medoc] we also have a 20mph (when lights flash) bit by the school. This is where the two doing 43 and 44 mph were caught (ok, it was shortly before the lights were due to flash, but I don't imagine that would have made much difference to the drivers).

I think the best solution would be to have an average speed check camera through the whole village. And while I am about it I would like the moon on a stick please.

[Pallando]

The police have said that as there have not been any fatal accidents then the road is not a priority (there have been some cars gone off the road, including onto our neighbours front garden, fortunately no hitting anything but a hedge). Personally I would like something to be done before a fatal accident!

[unlucky83]

The smiley signs - we have one going out of the village ...there is a small stretch with no houses and then a residential road round a corner so I guess people think they are leaving the village and speed up ...
BUT it gives me the rage...when it first detects you it always flashes up red and says you are doing 4 mph above what you actually are (so actual 28 flashes up 32, 30 displays 34) ...then as you get closer it detects your real or in fact lower than - your real speed - goes green and says thank you..annoys me every time -I actually want it to stay red -but at 32 it still goes green -I have to stop myself trying . I thought there might be a problem with my speedo but apparently it is the same for everyone ...
It isn't the green that annoys me - it is the red when it shouldn't be that grates...I kind of think it is deliberate -to get you to check your speed or something but why when it makes you worry there is something wrong with your car?

[McT123]

It is worth reporting speeding cars on your county police website if they have that option particularly if you are positive that they were speeding - for instance when you are overtaken whilst driving at the speed limit.
Sussex Police have a good system where you can check to see what has been done about your complaint.

[JamNan]

I feel your pain OP. Sadly it all comes down to cost. Wear hi vis jackets so drivers can see you. Take the reg number or a pic on your phone of drivers who are inconsiderate and report to police. I suppose you can't shout stupid cunt in front of the kids when a driver has a near miss

All you can do is lobby your council, local papers parish magazine and the rest of the village including the school. Also get in touch with the Community Speedwatch programme like dexter suggested. But you have to be prepared to volunteer for the training programme and to take part in traffic surveys. In our village we had to prove to the district council that there was a need for traffic calming measures. A small group of us stood out in all weathers with a camera and speeding equipment before the district council would even entertain that there was a serious speeding problem. The top speed we clocked was 87mph in a 40 limit. It took years (and unfortunately several deaths) but we have finally got traffic calming in place.

[richthegreatcornholio]

It is worth reporting speeding cars on your county police website if they have that option particularly if you are positive that they were speeding - for instance when you are overtaken whilst driving at the speed limit

Really? What are they going to do about it? Nothing.

[Pallando]

//JamNan we do wear hi-vis (especially when foggy!). Might be hard to take pictures though as one hand is holding my eldest's hand and the other is holding her bags.

Am more than willing to do some traffic surveys, but would have to be when my OH is back from work, and I believe that it has to be done in daylight which is tricky ATM!

Will keep on nagging (but am slightly worried I am going to turn into Linda Snell).

This probably doesn't help Drop in number of Traffic Cops

[JamNan]

rich
If you shout and complain long enough you will get somewhere.

[JamNan]

Every village needs a Linda Snell
Yes the surveys have to be done in daylight at a spot designated by the police as safe to stand by the road.