Speed gun project proposed for Hungerford

TRAFFIC speed 'guns' could be deployed by residents in a bid to tackle a town's problem motorists.

District councillor James Cole (Con, Hungerford & Kintbury) has worked with West Berkshire Council's highways officers to produce a report on various options.

He was responding to ongoing complaints from householders and the report states: "One major consideration is that if...residents believe that some sort of 'traffic calming' measure – a chicane, for example – is justified, it will be necessary to provide some evidence to West Berkshire Council, and the options below may be used to achieve such a justification.

One of those options was to deploy speed guns in a Community Speed Watch (CSW) campaign.

A pilot scheme in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire has reportedly been successful, although it can currently only be operated on roads with speed limits between 20mph and 40mph.

Trained volunteers would use the equipment to record speeding vehicles then upload the information to the Thames Valley Police CSW platform using a computer or laptop for the police to take action.

The police would check the details of the offending vehicles on their national computer to ensure as far as possible that the correct vehicle details have been obtained.

They would then send a letter that explains what has happened and the potential consequences of the driver’s actions.

If the offender has already been contacted, a second letter can also be sent.

The data collected via this platform would also act as a data base for the local police to direct their resources for enforcement.

Hungerford Town Council is currently considering Mr Cole's report.