Update on Traffic Calming in the Village

We’ve been using the Vehicle Activated Sign (VAS) since November 2023 and it’s time to report back to you.

They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words …

If you are into charts you’ll quickly spot that the VAS can have a dramatic effect on how many vehicles stick to the speed limit.
You’ll also notice that there are big differences between locations so let’s report on the locations individually.

Working pretty well on The Street

The VAS increased compliance with the 30 mph speed limit from 83% of vehicles to an average of 91%. Taking both directions into account, nearly 600 vehicles a day are still speeding, but mostly only by a few mph. Not ideal, but nowhere near as bad as elsewhere.

We will continue using the VAS and the CSW team will still do occasional roadside monitoring with our speed gun by the Village Hall.

Lower but still worrying levels of speeding on The Avenue

The good news: the VAS increased compliance with the 30 mph limit from 40% to an average of 72% and reduced the average speed by 3 to 4 mph. This speed reduction might not sound much; however, a 1 mph reduction leads to a fall in the accident rate of approximately 5%.

The bad news: taking both directions into consideration, in the order of 1,600 vehicles a day exceed the speed limit even with the VAS in use. Over 120 of those are travelling at 40 mph or more, about 15 times more than on The Street.

We want to ensure our traffic data are taken into consideration in connection with the proposed redevelopment of the Swedish Houses. Investment in further traffic calming measures would be premature before the future of that site has been resolved because the layout of the road may change. We’ll continue with the VAS for now.

Could do better at Taits Hill Road – Blackthorn Barn

The VAS is used for 2 weeks in each direction here. It was moderately effective in slowing traffic travelling towards the A38, increasing compliance with the speed limit from 41% to an average of 67%.

The results for traffic coming from the A38 were disappointing, with an increase in compliance of only 7% on average. Even worse, there was a marked deterioration over the evaluation period not seen elsewhere. The numbers of vehicles speeding are comparable to those on The Avenue, but the most extreme speeds have been recorded here.

Further measures to combat speeding are clearly necessary at this location. Stinchcombe Speed Watch and the Parish Council are exploring the option of a solar-powered AutoSpeedWatch camera. It would be part of the countywide Community Speed Watch+ network and automatically generate Police letters to the worst speeders. Read more about CSW+ here . The CSW team will continue to do occasional roadside monitoring with our speed gun in this area.

Not needed at Taits Hill Road – Vale Vets?

Data from the VAS show virtually 100% compliance with the speed limit here, even when the device is not illuminated. The VAS therefore serves little purpose, making it likely that we stop using it there.

The Parish Council will try to renegotiate the legal agreement with the County Council so that we can still get maximum use out of the VAS with fewer locations. Currently we cannot use it for more than 2 weeks at a location or return until 8 weeks have elapsed.

Kath Hudson (Stinchcombe Speed Watch)