Plea to stop speeding on busy road which connects Weston and Bristol
Sam Frost
Members of Cleeve Speedwatch team, Joan Stringer, Chris Smart and Colin Knowles. Picture: MARK ATHERTON
Volunteers hoping to make a busy road which connects Weston to Bristol safer for motorists and pedestrians have called on villagers to get involved.
A speedwatch group has formed in Cleeve, hoping to curb speeding on the A370 through the village, with drivers who often ignore the 40mph restriction causing safety concerns.
Unlike other villages dotted along the A370, traffic is not slowed to 30mph in Cleeve – which residents believe is unsafe.
The initiative was launched by Cleeve Parish Council in the spring, and so far six members take part by donning high-vis vests at Heron Green and aiming a speed gun at traffic.
Alicia Fox, the parish council's clerk, hopes the presence of the speedwatch team – which reports speeding motorists to the police – will deter drivers from exceeding the speed limit through the village.
She said: "Speeding is a big issue in Cleeve.
"Many people do much closer to 50mph than 40mph through the village, which is not safe."
Member Christine Smart told the Mercury more volunteers are needed to tackle the issue of speeding in Cleeve.
She said: "I think one of the problems is when you drive through other villages like Flax Bourton you are slowed down to 30mph, but that isn't the case in Cleeve.
"Driving at more than 40mph through the village is inappropriate for a place like Cleeve, and people do not slow down.
"Hopefully people slow down if they see us. If we catch nobody speeding, it's good because it means we are doing our job and deterring people, but it is nice if we catch someone out too."
With new members, the group would be more effective in curbing speeding by conducting more sessions at Heron Green, and Ms Smart encouraged people to take part.
She added: "We'd like to go out ideally once a week with two or three people, but we only have a small group at the moment so it's difficult to do that."
For more information on joining the speedwatch group, contact the parish council clerk on 07584 411326 or email cleeveparish
council@hotmail.co.uk