Even with a primary school and community church some drivers continue to speed on Paget Street in Grangetown
FAMILIES living on a residential street in Grangetown are worried for the safety of their children because of reckless drivers.
People of Paget Street who are frustrated with the lack of speed control measures have created a petition calling for speed bumps and a pedestrian crossing to be introduced.
“There’s going to be a very serious accident at one point,” said Chris Young, who started the petition.
Mr Young, who has to cross Paget Street every day, said that there has even been a couple of accidents on the street in which drivers have gone into the walls of houses.
“I’ve seen many people travel extremely fast down Paget Street over the years, too fast to catch their number plate or report them,” he said.
There is also a local church and community hall on Paget Street, as well as St Paul’s Primary School on Bromsgrove Street which runs adjacent.
“I’ve got a child who will be crossing Paget Street on their own every day very soon. I’m trying to ingrain in him how careful he’s got to be on that road,” said Mr Young.
“I felt like I had to push for this before someone is seriously injured.”
At the start of the academic year, the roads surrounding St Paul’s Primary School had new driving restrictions introduced. Now, only permit holders can use these streets between 8.30-9.15am and 2.30-3.15pm.
The concerns about reckless driving on Paget Street predate the introduction of the default 20mph speed limit across Wales in September.
Residents have previously contacted the council about the issue but a resolution to control the speed hasn’t yet been reached.
“I felt like I had to push for this before someone is seriously injured,” said Mr Young.
“I think a couple of speed bumps wouldn’t hurt anyone. It’s the only straight long road without these measures in Grangetown. It’s a no brainer and they should be prioritising speed calming measures.”
Grangetown councillors, Sara Robinson and Ash Lister, have been campaigning for better speed control measures on the residents’ behalf.
“Paget Street has long been a hot spot for irresponsible driver behaviour and residents are justifiably concerned and want to see the issue addressed,” Ms Robinson said.
“We believe that everybody has the right to feel safe in their locality, and that children have the right to play in the street without their parents fearing for their safety on the roads.”
Following the introduction of the new 20mph law, the Council has said they will be monitoring vehicle speeds from across the city to find areas where drivers are not complying.
The Cabinet Member for Transport and Planning Cllr De’Ath said that any required measures will be determined after the 12-month review of the monitoring data.
- You can sign the petition for better speed control measures on Paget Street here .
