Volunteers clock 130 'speeders' in just one hour on New Forest lane
A GROUP of Boldre residents who got together to combat speeding drivers clocked 130 cars going over the limit in just an hour.
Volunteers have taken to the streets to use speed indicator gadgets after claims roads are being used as ‘rat runs’ to avoid traffic lights in Lymington that are causing huge tail backs. The temporary lights are located close to the town’s railway crossing.
One of the volunteers told the A&T the upshot of that had been that increasing numbers of drivers were now using roads in Boldre to gain access to Ampress, the hospital and the northern part of Lymington.
They said: “We are just fed up residents of Boldre Lane who cannot walk safely here anymore and are trying to set up traffic calming with advice from the police, HCC Highways and the parish council.
“We, our children, grandchildren and pets are at risk here every day. There has been a huge rise in traffic coming through the village, and the trouble is a lot of the drivers are also speeding. They go very fast through the village and it is worrying.
“The parish council is looking at speed calming measures but they are quite expensive. We have also asked the Highways Authority for help, but although everyone is supportive of trying to stop speeding drivers no one wants to pay for it!
“We took the initiative in hiring speed indicator gadgets so we could highlight just how big the problem is and hopefully also make drivers slow down.”
During a one-hour slot – from 8.30am to 9.30am – on Wednesday last week the group detected 130 cars going over the village’s 30mph speed limit in Boldre Lane.
The volunteer continued: “We were quite horrified that it was so many – the fastest speed was 44mph.
“The issue of an increase in traffic and speeding has been going on for the last two years. We are hoping that word will get round about what we are doing so people will slow down. We also intend to present the parish council and the Highways Authority with our findings.”
The roads the volunteers say are being impacted by speeding motorists are Bull Hill, Jordan’s Lane, Pilley Hill and Boldre Lane.
Measures that are being looked at in an effort to combat speeding through the village include white lines to funnel traffic, slow signs, speed indicator signs and coloured rough surfaces.
The volunteer added: “The white lines would cost around £2,400, the speed indicator £5,000 and the coloured rough surfaces between £2,000 and £4,000, so we will be lucky if we even get one of them.”
