Fourteen People Injured Every Year in Traffic Accidents in Pinehurst!

Twenty child casualties between September 1999 and August 2002 in Pinehurst! Only one accident per year in the Abbey Meads 20 Zone! Why?

At Swindon Borough Council we are convinced that speeding is one of the main causes of accidents and, in the Pinehurst area, we have recorded speeds as high as 51mph in Beech Avenue, 50mph in Northern Road, 44mph in Pinehurst Road and 39mph in Chestnut Avenue.

National research shows that, where a 20mph zone is in place, 60% less accidents happen on roads.

This is, in part, because the difference in stopping distance for a vehicle travelling at 40mph and one at 20mph can be 24 metres or about six car lengths.

Hit by a vehicle at 40mph, nine out of ten pedestrians are killed. At 20mph, one pedestrian is killed but nine survive.

Over the last five years there have been 71 traffic accidents in this area, and only recently there was a tragic death. Therefore we at Swindon Borough Council are certain that by reducing speed, we will reduce the number of accidents and accordingly reduce the likelihood of death or serious injuries from occurring.

Studies show that drivers in Abbey Meads do not drive too fast. This is because Abbey Meads is the biggest 20mph zone in Swindon and it works very well. A 20mph zone is an area of roads where the traffic measures in place dissuade drivers from driving faster than 20mph.

We are all concerned about safety on the roads and about preventing accidents and the Council wants  to reduce the number of injury accidents on our roads.

The drivers who break the speed limit in Pinehurst are putting lives at risk. Given the high number of accidents in the area, we have to find a way to slow them down.

We know that one way of achieving this is by implementing a 20mph zone in Pinehurst to significantly reduce the number of accidents and the severity of injury. This section of the website explains how this can be achieved.

Further Information and Help

If there is anything you need help with, please telephone Customer Services on 01793 463725.

Further copies of the Pinehurst 20mph brochure may be obtained at:

Council Premises

• Customer Services
  Wat Tyler House
  Princes Street
  Swindon

Libraries

• Swindon Central Library
• Gorse Hill Library
• North Swindon Library
• Penhill Library
• Pinehurst Library
• Upper Stratton Library
• West Swindon Library
• Wroughton Library

Community Centres

• Pinehurst Community Centre

Information Centre

• Tourist Information Centre
  Regent Street
  Swindon

Please don't forget to let us have your views.

We will let you know the results of this consultation.