Would it be middle class of me to spearhead a community speed watch group?

[friedaweed]

They're making the house shake enough that the guttering have fallen off.

It's a 30mph limit in a village with old folk and kids who can't safely cross the road, Audi drivers are doing 50+ on the school commute

Every time they shut the bypass it's like Beirut out there with HGV's tanking it past the gaff throughout the night doing 40+
.
We've had two periods of about 2 months where its been hell when they close the bypass at night to do maintainance work and divert mainly heavey goods through Crinklybottom at night. Now it seems the work has been carried out substandard and they need to start again.
Last two nights it's kept me awake all night because the gaff shakes every time Big Rubber Duck follows the green line on the sat nav.

Local councillor wants me to head up a community speed watch group. Local plod just don't have the resources to gatzo the road themselves.

Have I gone full blown Tarquin now I'm a country bumpkin?
Will they have a hi-viz jacket in my size?
Will it clash with my jeans?

I have my working-class pride and don't normally look to engage with the rozzers but I need my sleep and Mrs Jones cant walk her dog without the risk of angua.

 

[friedaweed]

https://www.northwales.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/wsi/watch-schemes-initiatives/speedwatch/community-speedwatch/

 

[Puddy_Tat]

or just get a high-viz and a hair dryer?

or a bird box painted yellow on the nearest lamp post / tree / whatever?

 

[T & P]

or just get a high-viz and a hair dryer?

or a bird box painted yellow on the nearest lamp post / tree / whatever?

I was going to suggest just that. It will likely have a high success rate for non-local drivers. I guess not so much for local offenders.

Doing that kind of speeds through small villages is a cunt’s trick anyway. One could choose to moderately speed an empty stretch of a B road in the right conditions, and that can be done perfectly safely if not legally, but once you reach the next town or village don’t be a fucking dick.

Longer term, I would imagine lobbying The Man to install speed cameras would yield the best results? Perhaps it’s dependant on the local authority, but this country has never been adverse to installing new speed cameras.

 

[hitmouse]

There's been a lot of chat in my local whatsapp group about this cos boy racer dickheads are a big problem in our area, there was broad support for doing events along the lines of this:

Make our street a place to play

Playing Out is a resident led movement restoring children’s freedom to play out in the streets and spaces where they live.

playingout.net

As part of a plan to pressure the council into introducing traffic-calming measures, which they've now promised to do some time over the next year. Dunno if that approach would have any relevance to you. We managed to organise one in 2020, then going back into lockdown fucked the momentum out of it and we never got around to having a follow-up after the next re-opening.
Oh, you could also look at some of the stuff ACORN's done in Levenshulme:

Dozens of residents line Manchester street demanding action

Over 100 people lined Matthews Lane in Levenshulme

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Levenshulme residents come together in Greenbank Park to tell Manchester City Council: Stop the Speeding on Matthews Lane - About Manchester

Over 100 Levenshulme residents, organised with ACORN the community union, gathered in socially-distanced groups of 5 in Greenbank Park to deliver their 435 signature-strong petition to local councillors, demanding Manchester City Council slow down Matthews Lane. Lack of traffic controls on...

aboutmanchester.co.uk

 

[Elpenor]

I thought north Wales police loved speed cameras - believe it was a chief constable in around the turn of the century who was notorious for this.

 

[marty21]

or just get a high-viz and a hair dryer?

or a bird box painted yellow on the nearest lamp post / tree / whatever?

This ^^^

 

[SpookyFrank]

Police do have the resources, they choose not to use them on preventing dangerous drivers because most of them are saddo overgrown boy racer types themselves. Also sitting in a layby for a couple of hours is too much like hard work for them.

 

[weltweit]

If it bothers you, take action!

What is the alternative?

 

[friedaweed]

If it bothers you, take action!

What is the alternative?

I could just moan about it on here I suppose welty.

To be fair I have taken some action, it's been going on for about 5 months. On the back of a lot of fed up elderly neighbours I've raised it through my local councillors and through the senedd. I've also discussed it at length with Cadw because our gaff is listed and they won't let us install double glazing. That's the case for all the cottages on the road.

Last time they started the works again it took me three days of phoning up the highways agencies and the lines and eventually they put some tempory traffic calming stuff in place. The lights with the condescending unskilled face. So I am trying but now there's talk of this community speed watch group and it would have to take place outside our gaff for reasons of safety and location.

They've said this would provide the data to evidence the need for more permo measures.

The Mrs is already looking at body armour and cuffs but I'm a little unsure about becoming a state stormtrooper myself. My family will rip the piss something chronic they find out. They're already calling me Lord Taff.

There's been a lot of chat in my local whatsapp group about this cos boy racer dickheads are a big problem in our area, there was broad support for doing events along the lines of this:

Make our street a place to play

Playing Out is a resident led movement restoring children’s freedom to play out in the streets and spaces where they live.

playingout.net

As part of a plan to pressure the council into introducing traffic-calming measures, which they've now promised to do some time over the next year. Dunno if that approach would have any relevance to you. We managed to organise one in 2020, then going back into lockdown fucked the momentum out of it and we never got around to having a follow-up after the next re-opening.
Oh, you could also look at some of the stuff ACORN's done in Levenshulme:

Dozens of residents line Manchester street demanding action

Over 100 people lined Matthews Lane in Levenshulme

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Levenshulme residents come together in Greenbank Park to tell Manchester City Council: Stop the Speeding on Matthews Lane - About Manchester

Over 100 Levenshulme residents, organised with ACORN the community union, gathered in socially-distanced groups of 5 in Greenbank Park to deliver their 435 signature-strong petition to local councillors, demanding Manchester City Council slow down Matthews Lane. Lack of traffic controls on...

aboutmanchester.co.uk

Nice one for that. Really useful

I'll try an get a video up of what it's like.

Thanks all for your comments

 

[dessiato]

Would it be middle class of you? Yes, it would. Does this matter when health and safety is involved? No, it doesn't. And what's wrong with being middle class when it comes to situations like this? In my opinion there's nothing that can be reasonably said against what you're trying, wanting, and needing to do.

 

[izz]

Bless you for being concerned it may be seen as twattish friedaweed but it's a safety issue surely, you have your old neighbours bimbling around and potentially younger people on bikes at risk as well, why not pursue it ?

 

[friedaweed]

Would it be middle class of you? Yes, it would. Does this matter when health and safety is involved? No, it doesn't. And what's wrong with being middle class when it comes to situations like this? In my opinion there's nothing that can be reasonably said against what you're trying, wanting, and needing to do.

You haven't met my family Desi. Picture the Boswells from bread in Donkey jackets.

 

[mojo pixy]

Could the community pool resources to buy a couple of tonnes of tarmac and make some speed bumps through the village? Probably a silly question, but has anyone asked the council to install some?

 

[SpookyFrank]

Pin on ARMS and ARMAMENT

Mar 6, 2014 - Instant Caltrops: In this instructable I'm going to teach you how to make your own caltrops. Caltrops are an ancient weapon like a metal sandburr. It's a nail with multiple points that has at least one point upward no matter how it lands. They are also called "star n…

www.pinterest.co.uk

 

[friedaweed]

Bless you for being concerned it may be seen as twattish friedaweed but it's a safety issue surely, you have your old neighbours bimbling around and potentially younger people on bikes at risk as well, why not pursue it ?

The main thing is the amount of time I know it will take. Part of why I've ended up doing all the calling and emailing is a lot of folk are already a bit meh! because they've all tried in the past and not got anywhere with it. If you want to do something like this you really do have to get the bit between your teeth and I'm not sure I've got the mental headspace if I'm honest. I'm mad fuck busy renovating the place and kyboshed in my day job.

I've written an expression of interest in supporting the scheme, as have some neighbours so I'll wait and see what happens.

One positive is its helped me get to know my neighbours a but better.

 

[Spymaster]

They're making the house shake enough that the guttering have fallen off.

It's a 30mph limit in a village with old folk and kids who can't safely cross the road, Audi drivers are doing 50+ on the school commute

Every time they shut the bypass it's like Beirut out there with HGV's tanking it past the gaff throughout the night doing 40+
.
We've had two periods of about 2 months where its been hell when they close the bypass at night to do maintainance work and divert mainly heavey goods through Crinklybottom at night. Now it seems the work has been carried out substandard and they need to start again.
Last two nights it's kept me awake all night because the gaff shakes every time Big Rubber Duck follows the green line on the sat nav.

Local councillor wants me to head up a community speed watch group. Local plod just don't have the resources to gatzo the road themselves.

Have I gone full blown Tarquin now I'm a country bumpkin?
Will they have a hi-viz jacket in my size?
Will it clash with my jeans?

I have my working-class pride and don't normally look to engage with the rozzers but I need my sleep and Mrs Jones cant walk her dog without the risk of angua.

You need a width restriction outside the boozer next to yours, and one at the other end of the village. Slows everything down and gets rid of the HGVs. What you don't want are speed humps coming towards your place unless you want pissheads crashing through your garden.

 

[Pickman's model]

Pin on ARMS and ARMAMENT

Mar 6, 2014 - Instant Caltrops: In this instructable I'm going to teach you how to make your own caltrops. Caltrops are an ancient weapon like a metal sandburr. It's a nail with multiple points that has at least one point upward no matter how it lands. They are also called "star n…

www.pinterest.co.uk

For people with fewer metalwork skills

POLICE Spike Road Block

Steel spikesFor police use onlyLength in open position 8 metersWidth 35 cm SKU: 483300

sos-shop.com

 

[SpookyFrank]

In answer to the OP's question, I'd say it's more middle class to think you're entitled to hoon it through a residential area at 50mph just because you can make the payments on an Audi A4. And while the police are shits, if you're just using their infrastructure to achieve something good, namely a deterrence against cuntsock behaviour, then it's fine IMO.

 

[Badgers]

 

[Pickman's model]

View attachment 306958

Dabs all over that now

 

[SpookyFrank]

The main thing is the amount of time I know it will take. Part of why I've ended up doing all the calling and emailing is a lot of folk are already a bit meh! because they've all tried in the past and not got anywhere with it. If you want to do something like this you really do have to get the bit between your teeth and I'm not sure I've got the mental headspace if I'm honest. I'm mad fuck busy renovating the place and kyboshed in my day job.

I've written an expression of interest in supporting the scheme, as have some neighbours so I'll wait and see what happens.

One positive is its helped me get to know my neighbours a but better.

For your own sanity, make it extremely clear that you're not doing all this yourself and will quit the second it looks like other people aren't pitching in. Otherwise instead of collective action you're just providing a service for others without getting paid for it.

 

[friedaweed]

Could the community pool resources to buy a couple of tonnes of tarmac and make some speed bumps through the village? Probably a silly question, but has anyone asked the council to install some?

Yeah we could but this is where the proposal of doing the speed check bollocks has been pushed at us. To prove it necessary.

Speed bumps wouldn't actually work though because we're on a hill and a bend and that can be more dangerous apparently. The real solution is a permanent camera or at worse some unhappy faced flashers. They cost money and the need for them needs to be established. If we stand out there like the village speed people the cameras collect the data on traffic load and identify offenders for warnings. The problem is if that scheme is temporarily successful they will just leave it at that until it becomes a problem again.

I've asked for them to put some traffic monitoring devices in and even offered to host them but that's gone nowehere.

 

[danny la rouge]

They're making the house shake enough that the guttering have fallen off.

It's a 30mph limit in a village with old folk and kids who can't safely cross the road, Audi drivers are doing 50+ on the school commute

Every time they shut the bypass it's like Beirut out there with HGV's tanking it past the gaff throughout the night doing 40+
.
We've had two periods of about 2 months where its been hell when they close the bypass at night to do maintainance work and divert mainly heavey goods through Crinklybottom at night. Now it seems the work has been carried out substandard and they need to start again.
Last two nights it's kept me awake all night because the gaff shakes every time Big Rubber Duck follows the green line on the sat nav.

Local councillor wants me to head up a community speed watch group. Local plod just don't have the resources to gatzo the road themselves.

Have I gone full blown Tarquin now I'm a country bumpkin?
Will they have a hi-viz jacket in my size?
Will it clash with my jeans?

I have my working-class pride and don't normally look to engage with the rozzers but I need my sleep and Mrs Jones cant walk her dog without the risk of angua.

No, it’s not inherently middle class to be concerned about road safety in your community. Working class communities can be too.

My advice would be, go ahead and get your community involved, but keep the authorities out of it. They’ll turn everything to shit.

 

[friedaweed]

You need a width restriction outside the boozer next to yours, and one at the other end of the village. Slows everything down and gets rid of the HGVs. What you don't want are speed humps coming towards your place unless you want pissheads crashing through your garden.

Exactly. Speed humps would just make the gaff shake even more.

 

[SpookyFrank]

My advice would be, go ahead and get your community involved, but keep the authorities out of it. They’ll turn everything to shit.

You need to get the equipment from somewhere though. And if it comes to installing permanent infrastructure, that'll have to go through the powers that be at some point.

 

[IC3D]

Won't the bypass improve traffic in the long run?

 

[Pickman's model]

Won't the bypass improve traffic in the long run?

In the long run we're all dead so unlikely to matter to friedaweed

 

[danny la rouge]

You need to get the equipment from somewhere though. And if it comes to installing permanent infrastructure, that'll have to go through the powers that be at some point.

OK, “make sure that your organisation is not in any way mediated by external bureaucracies, and that your relationship with them is only when you need to demand outcomes. As much as possible ensure you achieve your own outcomes”.

 

[JimW]

Tank traps, catapult and ball bearings.