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Road Safety - Speed Checks

JUNIOR ROAD SAFETY OFFICER SCHEME (JRSOs)

The Junior Road Safety Officer scheme is funded through BGCBC's Welsh Assembly Government Road Safety Grant.  It enables pupils to take some responsibility for road safety in their own school area and helps them to pass important messages to their peers about keeping safe when out and about.

Every JRSO is supported in their role by an adult at the school, the local Road Safety Officer, and the JRSO Co-ordinator.  Above all the JRSO scheme is a valuable contribution to road safety in schools, local communities, and Wales as a whole.

In local Partnership and Communities Together  (PACT) meetings, speeding traffic is often highlighted as a priority, which clearly shows that this is a serious concern for residents.  In Brynmawr, local people are particularly concerned about the speed and volume of vehicles on Intermediate Road, where there is a 20mph zone in place.

Statistics show that the main cause of road traffic collisions is a combination of inappropriate or excessive speed with some form of human error.  Driving too fast was one of the main causes of road traffic collisions on built up roads in Gwent last year. 

The Department for Transports "THINK !" campaign illustrates the reasons why speed limits exist by pointing out that if you hit a child at 40mph there is an 80% chance they will be killed, and if you hit a child at 30mph there is an 80% they will survive.  However, if you hit a child at 20mph, the child has a 90% survival chance.

As a result, St. Mary's Church in Wales Primary School, the Police, BGCBC, and Capita Symonds, undertook a speed survey outside the school.  The school's Junior Road Safety Officers (JRSOs) actually carried out the survey with the use of a hand-held laser speed device.  The results of the findings are detailed below.

SPEED SURVEY RESULTS

8th October 2008 - Session 2.15pm to 2.35pm
Number of vehicles = 18          Average speed 14.5mph          1 car exceeded limit at 22mph

14th October 2008 - Session 2.25pm to 2.35pm
Number of vehicles = 24          Average speed 16.3mph          1 car exceeded limit at 27mph and 1 van at 29mph

15th October 008 - Two sessions carried out at 10.20am to 10.45am and 2.20pm to 2.45pm
Number of vehicles = 56         Average speed 15.9mph            2 cars exceded limit at 22mph and 3 cars at 21mph, 23mph, and 28mph respectively.

16th Otober 2008 - Two sessiion carried out at 10.15am to 10.45am and 2.15pm to 2.30pm
Number of vehicles = 34          Average speed 16.4mph         2 cars exceeded limit at 21mph, and 4 cars at 21mph, 22mph, 24mph, and 26mph respectively.

17th October 2008 - Session 10.20am to 10.45am
Number of vehicles  33          Average speed 16.9mph          5 cars exceeded limit at 21mph, 22mph, 24mph, 25mh, and 26mph respectively.

22nd October 2008 - Session 10.30am to 10.45am
Number of vehicles = 27         Average speed 15.9mph        2 cars exceeded limit at 21mph and 22mph.

23rd Otober 2008 - Session 2.15pm to 2.30pm
Number of vehicles = 33        Average speed 14.2mph         2 cars exceeded limit at 22mph.

SURVEY AS A WHOLE

Total number of vehicles 225

Average speed for whole survey 15.7mph

During the survey, a total of 22 vehicles were found to be exceeding the 20mph speed limit.  The average speed for these vehicles was 23.2mph.

More detailed information is available, if required.  Please contact:-

Maria Barsi
Road Safety Officer (Blaenau Gwent)
Capita Symonds

Telephone:-  07818 036 940

Email:-   maria.barsi@capita.co.uk