Isle of Wight council leader, Dave Stewart, shares this latest news on behalf of IW Conservative councillors, in his own words. Ed
The Isle of Wight Council is pushing the government to allow it to take over powers from police to clamp down on drivers exceeding the speed limit.
Frustration of not being able to fulfil residents’ wishes in making rural and village roads safer has prompted councillors to urge the Department of Transport to change the rules on speed enforcement.
A successful motion, tabled by Cllr Clare Mosdell to Full Council on Wednesday night (catch up here), also called on ministers to grant the authority power to enforce weight and width restrictions on local roads too.
Mosdell: Drivers use rural roads as if competing at Le Mans
Cllr Mosdell said,
“In my ward we have managed to have a speed reduction put in place but this has caused further frustration for residents as many drivers continue to drive though these rural roads as if they were competing at Le Mans.
“There is no point in residents asking for speed limits to be reduced within their areas, however much it is a hot spot, until we have proper enforcement measures in place.
“It is a big ask to ask the government to give local authorities the power to enforce but at the moment, if you are walking on a rural road in a residential area with no pavement, you can at least hear the cars tearing towards you.
“What happens when all the cars are electric, silent and can still have the capacity to drive 50mph in a 30mph zone?”
Average speed cameras
In the meantime, Cabinet members will consider the cost and feasibility of acquiring mobile average speed cameras for future use on the Island.
Cllr Mosdell added,
“We cannot continue to do nothing.”
Stewart: Enforcement a challenge for stretched Island police service
Council leader, Dave Stewart, said the motion reflected the concerns of many Island residents about the blatant disregard some motorists had for speed, weight and width restrictions.
He said,
“I’m particularly keen to support the proposal to seek powers from government for enforcement as this is one of the main challenges for our stretched Island police service.
“I’m also keen to promote the availability of mobile average speed cameras here on the Island as they will better enable us to manage our response for matters such as vehicles speeding on the Military Road or elsewhere.”
Pavement parking
At the same meeting, councillors unanimously backed a motion brought by Cllr Ian Ward, Cabinet member for transport and infrastructure, calling on the government to give the council enforcement powers to deal with pavement parking issues.
He said his motion followed instances where people had blatantly broken the rules by blocking the pavement causing problems for sight-impaired and disabled residents, as well as pram and pushchair users
