Breaking News (March 2020) – After a lengthy campaign by the Speedwatch Team and The Parish Council, Suffolk Highways have agreed to install 40 mp.h. ‘buffer’ zones at both approaches to Bramfield. This will include ‘repeater’ 40 mph signs, new road painting and two signs warning drivers that they are about to enter a 40 mph zone, approx.. 250-yards from the start of the 40 mph zones. This is warmly welcomed by residents, as speeding has been a major concern for many years.
The Speedwatch Team enters its 5th year of operation and combined with the village’s own “S.I.D.” (Speed Indicator Device or "flashing sign" to you and me), it is hoped that all these measures will persuade drivers to SLOW DOWN throughout the village.
The S.I.D. displays how fast drivers are actually going and if they are exceeding the 30 m.p.h. limit, it will flash a "Slow Down" message at the same time. There are 7 separate locations within the village where the sign can be located and the data it captures is downloaded to show dates, times and speeds, which helps the Speedwatch Team to monitor traffic patterns and plan their monitoring sessions better. The Speedwatch Team currently has 12 residents in and tries to do two 1-hour sessions every week, on different days and at different times. If you would like to join the team and make a real difference, please call Andrew Niven on 07535 966908, or email: Andrew.Niven1@btinternet.com
The Team's primary function is to record the registration numbers of vehicles travelling at 35 m.p.h. or more, with aid of its own speed gun (which is not a not a camera) and to pass this information on to the Police, who at their discretion, will write to registered keeper, reminding them that 30 mp.h. is a LIMIT and not a TARGET and to re-educate drivers on the need to slow down. Second-time offenders will receive a more strongly worded letter, advising them if they are recorded for a third time, by ANY Speedwatch team in the UK, it will result in prosecution, i.e. points on their licence and a fine, sometimes delivered by hand by the Police to the offender's door.
The other main thrust of the team is to be clearly visible as a reminder to drivers that Bramfield is a Speedwatch village, and that the team could be out at any time on any day, and trust that the word will get around.
Bramfield Primary School Junior Road Safety Officers are promoting road safety. They invited P.C. Simon Green and Andrew Niven (Speedwatch Co-ordinator) to come to the school for a Question & Answer session, followed by a roadside demonstration on the main A144 through Bramfield, to see how the Police speed gun works and to use it. “To make sure we were safe, we had to put on high viz jackets. It was exciting to hold the speed gun. By using it we got to see how fast all the cars were travelling. We all had an amazing time.” The Bramfield Primary School Junior Road Safety Officers would like to remind you to drive safety through the village and keep to the 30mph speed limit
