Police have warned speeding could have “fatal” consequences after a town’s hotspots were revealed.
In a report prepared for Chippenham Town Council, police recently revealed the areas of the town where drivers had been caught breaking the speed limit.
Areas where officers conducted speed checks due to road safety concerns include Rowden Hill, Malmesbury Road, Hungerdown Lane, London Road, Hardenhuish Lane, and Oaklands and Greenway Lane.
Most offenders were caught on Rowden Hill and Malmesbury Road.
Six drivers faced fines or speed awareness courses after being caught speeding on these routes while 19 others were warned.
Rowden Hill, where most drivers were caught speeding, has previously been described as an “accident waiting to happen.”
Last year, a resident called for more enforcement on the route claiming they faced “danger” when trying to leave their property.
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Police have conducted speed checks on the A-road twice in recent months and Inspector Pete Foster has since spoken about the serious risks posed by drivers speeding through the town.
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He said: “Speeding is one of the fatal five offences most likely to attribute to death and serious injury on the roads.
“As an operational officer I have seen the impact first hand of collisions where speed has been a factor.
“One fatality or serious injury is one too many, and the impact on people’s lives can be devastating.
“Sadly, you only need to turn on the news to see the consequences of speeding, with stories appearing on a regular basis.
“There is also the impact that this has on those in the emergency services who have to attend and deal with the collision and subsequent investigation.”
While police have been cracking down on speeding, Insp Foster emphasised the importance of a holistic approach.
He added: “We also know from speaking with our communities that speeding is one of the key local concerns.
“We must be realistic though, and the police cannot be everywhere at once and need to balance our resources in line with other competing demands.
“This is why a joined-up approach involving all of the different teams is so important.”
Other methods being used to tackle speeding in Chippenham include a range of different organisations and technologies.
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Insp Foster said: “There are a number of different avenues that are used to tackle speeding.
“We have a community road safety team who co-ordinate a lot of the activity including working with partners such as Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.
“This includes our volunteer Community Speed Watches (CSW); local members of the community who are assisting to make their areas safer.
“Speed indicator devices (SIDs) have become popular, and these are an overt way of informing them of their speed and the need to slow down if they’re travelling too fast.
“In addition, it is possible for this data to be passed to the police to allow us to target the areas most impacted.
“We employ community speed enforcement officers who can enforce speed limits, and much of their activity is based on the data from the SIDs.”
Insp Foster added officers will continue to be deployed to speeding hotspots in Chippenham.
He said: “Police officers from the Roads Policing Unit (RPU) also play an active part in tackling the fatal five including speed enforcement across the county.
“This includes Project Zero, a weekly day of action dedicated to targeting drivers committing any of the fatal five offences.
“As a neighbourhood team we try and conduct speeding in a range of different places, including those raised directly to us by residents, councillors, through social media.
“We also link in with our CSW teams to ensure that they feel supported. This is why we share some of our enforcement activity on social media.”
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