Dear Milton Abbot residents, we have achieved so much in quite a short time and our long-term planning has been galvanised following much discussion and vital feedback from the community. It’s important, we feel, to explain our goals and strategies so that everyone in the village feels connected to our activities and can understand the wider context i.e the ‘big picture’
From the start we have recognised that road safety defines our concerns, making our roads safe for all. Whilst speeding is at times the most obvious failing of motorists, we see too often poor roadcraft and poor road positioning putting people’s safety at risk.
We are at a real cross roads in our campaign and ask for your help.
Our campaign seeks to deliver the long term goal of proper road infrastructure to deliver safer roads through our village. What might this mean? We would like the return of modern speed cameras that are dynamic and report exact speeds to motorists. We would welcome speed calming measures such as rumble strips or boundary gates that signal physically the entry of a new speed zone. We would like safer wider pavements so that kids can walk freely and safely to the school in all seasons.
To deliver all of this we are communicating directly across a number of Government agencies such as local Government, Police and Highway authorities and local transport companies. This work requires time, focus, and some financial resource so please if you can, give a £5 to our gofundme page. More importantly, we welcome any volunteers who could support some administrative tasks such as email and letter writing. Perhaps you are retired and could offer your polished communication skills for a few hours a week? See our key projects below.
We are currently seeking to register the walking school bus, a process that adds legitimacy and weight to the children’s daily route to school. We have consulted with the parish council and will now formally canvas the Highways agency for better road and speed safety measures. One idea is to explore a time-specific 20MPH zone around the school for arrival and departure times.
We’d welcome volunteers to drive these two specific projects forwards-could you help??
Our speed watch campaign starts very soon- you may have read in the Tavy Times of the support of the Police Commissioner , Alison Hernandez, around this initiative. We have our speed gun and preliminary training has commenced, however, I stress that this exercise can only deliver within Covid regulations. The on site training is on hold until the police deem it Covid safe to progress. We must sadly be patient , as we all have done so this year!
Perhaps the biggest talking point in the village was our amazing signs. We’d like to announce a call to restore the signs again in December between the 13th and 24th, please! Many of you have asked why can’t the signs remain permanently, so let’s answer that transparently. The large round signs were erected with specific permission of landowners on the basis of a short, timed campaign. We wish to honour the goodwill upon which permission was granted. Furthermore, we have not, pending local feedback, demanded specific speed signage action, from the Highways agency yet. We now have consulted at local parish council level and can progress our requests. It remains an option of pressure to reinstate our signs if, over time, the Highways Agency does not yield to our requests. Some of you, with your own signs on your own property, may wish to keep your signs up permanently, having seen the positive effect they yield. We respect this too, as some feelings run high. What is ultimately important to us, is that you can now understand the wider and longer-term goals we have. It is the responsibility of the authorities to provide solutions, with our focus, direction and applied pressure, rather than our temporary valiant effort.
If anyone needs a laminated A3 sign please ask Sonia who can help you-email below.
If anyone needs a free high viz vest to walk safely in the village also let us know!
We are also planning a radical art based speed safety project for the summer and need the help of knitters and or crochet fans- can you help- you might be 8 or 80! Once again Sonia is your contact on this one. It’s super exciting!!!
So, in summary, please continue your wonderful support. Get your signs up on the 13th!!!!! Please if you can, keep donating! Please if you can, offer your time and energy to help our small yet growing committee to get better results, sooner! To volunteer please email Sonia@miltonabbotspeedsafety.org
Milton Abbot Speed & Road Safety 