Unipart Dorman | New high-tech alert sign project
Matt Lambert Posted On February 27, 2015 
Villagers in Hulland Ward are setting out on a pioneering project to use a high-tech sign to slow down passing cars.
The Parish Council-led project has seen a new sign hung on a lamp-post, advising motorists of their speed as they travel along Main Road.
The community has been campaigning for years for measures to be stepped up before a serious accident takes place, and the latest scheme has had an immediate effect.
Villager Peter Birkbeck, who lives near to one of the locations the moveable sign will be placed at, says he is optimistic that the sign, the first of its kind in Derbyshire, may have an impact.
Shortly after the sign was first switched on, on Monday, he told the News Telegraph: “I’ve been watching it this morning and there’s no doubt that it’s already having an impact. Cars were definitely braking when they see their speed flash up on it.
“There has always been a problem of speeding along Main Road, but since Carsington Water was developed it’s been much worse.
“It’s especially a problem at weekends when the influx of visitors come in but lorries are a problem as well.
“Many of the villagers use Main Road on a daily basis, children use it to get to school and people walk across it to get to the Nag’s Head pub or to the shop. There’s always lots of activity and when there’s a 40 tonne lorry thundering past at 45 or 50mph it becomes very difficult and very dangerous.”
Although there have not been any fatalities or serious accidents in Hulland Ward in recent years a few measures have been put in place to slow vehicles down, including increases in signage – but villagers say they soon start getting ignored.
While Hulland Ward Parish Council members were searching for a solution they were approached by a firm called Unipart Dorman which supplies a device that not only displays a vehicle’s speed, but also gathers data.
The firm has been working with parish councils in Lincolnshire, but approached Hulland Ward Parish Council as bosses thought their DF11 unit could be of benefit.
The parish councillors have agreed to host one of the signs for a short while, ahead of a presentation to be held in the village on Tuesday, March 17, when its data will be put on display.
Should the £2,000 device prove effective during its trial, the parish council says it may look in to purchasing one and using it full time.
Parish councillor David Lewis said: “The main thing is that we hope this improves the quality of life for people living in the village.
“A lot of people in our community find crossing the road very difficult so we thought we would get ahead of the game and do something before there was an accident.
“I think it’s about the parish council doing something proactive before something serious happens.
“It’s early days but I’ve been watching it and it looks like it’s already having a positive effect.”
Contracts Watch
70 open highways tenders right now, plus who has just won what. Updated every hour.
Stay sharp
Never miss a story
The daily highways digest, straight to your mailbox.
You will get a confirmation email. Unsubscribe anytime. About The Highways Industry Newsletter →
