26/6/2006 - Speeding drivers in Allerdale will tell SID

A new portable speed indication device (SID) will be putting the breaks on speeding motorists when it takes to the roads around North Allerdale this weekend.

The SID, which monitors and displays the speed of approaching vehicles, will be put into service on Sunday 2 July on roads around Port Carlisle before being moved to other speeding hot-spots in North Allerdale over the coming weeks and months. Drivers can see the speed they are traveling and adjust it accordingly. 

Earlier this year, concerns about speeding motorists were raised at the Bowness, Thursby and Caldbeck Neighbourhood Forum. Now thanks to the support of Cumbria County Council, the police and ten local parish councils who helped fund the scheme, the new speed-busting device is about to be put into action.

The police will operate the SID during the day and local community volunteers will re-charge its battery in the evenings. 

Bowness, Thursby and Caldbeck county councillor Duncan Fairbairn says the introduction of the SID, which will be moved around roads across North Allerdale, is a good example of local communities working together. "By making drivers aware of their speed and encouraging them to slow down this device should make our villages safer."

Ten parish councils are taking part in this initial scheme and each parish council has part ownership of the SID. There is already a waiting list for the next scheme. The ten parish councils are: Bowness on Solway, Caldbeck, Holme East Waver, Kirkbampton, Oughterside & Allerby, Thursby, Allhallows, Aspatria, Allonby and Woodside.

For more information on the scheme contact Pat Ackred 01900 325013