Councillor reacts angrily to evidence of dangerous drivers

A Cramlington Town Councillor has spoken of his disappointment in the results of a report showing data collected by the variable speed indicators managed by Cramlington Town Council.

Seven redeployable battery-operated signs were installed in November 2022 at locations across the town including Dudley Lane, Westmorland Way, Northumbrian Road, Beaconhill and East Cramlington.

Whilst the majority of drivers have been adhering to the speed restrictions there have been some notable exceptions. In one instance a speed of 95mph was recorded at Beaconhill in a 40mph zone and on Northumbrian Road  a recording of 87mph was recorded in a 30 mph zone.

Councillor Mark Swinburn, who represents the Village Ward, commissioned the report and he reacted angrily to the high speed recordings saying: “I am absolutely disgusted to see these instances of drivers flouting the legal limits and being so reckless in a suburban area. They clearly have no care or consideration for the town’s residents – frankly they are dangerous idiots.”

“Whilst it is reassuring to see that the majority of drivers are staying within the legal limits I remain very concerned about the number of violations. For example, on Westmorland Way between December 20, 2022 and March 9, 2023, over 40% of drivers were in excess of the speed limit.”

“I ask residents to look at all the data shown in the report which can be accessed HERE and also to remember a very simple message – SPEED KILLS!”

The data from the cameras is passed to Northumbria Police and Northumberland County Council Highways department.

The cameras each cost £2500 and the locations are reviewed every six months with the next review due in May.

All other speed cameras within Cramlington are managed by Northumberland County Council.

If you have captured and witnessed a dangerous or careless driving offence on the roads you can submit your dashcam footage to Northumbria Police via the link HERE