Dunchideock Traffic Speed Surveys - 2008
The Parish Council has been talking since November 2019 about traffic speeds on Blacksmith Hill and was planning to get Devon CC to carry out speed surveys. I've already told the PC that we did this some years ago and I suspect the situation has not changed significantly. But they ignore me rather than investigate the previous work. Since I did all the work on my computer, I'm putting here for your interest.
Speeding traffic was a concern raised when we prepared the Parish Plan in 2005. See pages 13 and 42 onwards of The Parish Plan. Consequently, we arranged for Devon CC to carry out traffic speed surveys to determine facts. We had detectors on Blacksmith Hill and School Lane and I prepared the following diagrams of my analysis of the data:
Speeding traffic was a concern raised when we prepared the Parish Plan in 2005. See pages 13 and 42 onwards of The Parish Plan. Consequently, we arranged for Devon CC to carry out traffic speed surveys to determine facts. We had detectors on Blacksmith Hill and School Lane and I prepared the following diagrams of my analysis of the data:
When we gathered data for the Parish Plan, one of the concerns that emerged related to the traffic speeds on our lanes. As a consequence, we were able to get Devon County Council to install electronic detectors that measured vehicle numbers and speeds.
These were in place for a week in January 2008 on Blacksmith Hill (the main road) and School Lane (past the village hall). It turned out that no vehicles exceeded the national 60mph speed limit. However, this is of course far too fast for our lanes. Here are some of the results (all mph):-
School Lane Downhill Uphill
Mean Speed 21 20
85th % ile 28 27 85th percentile speed, is that speed at or below which 85 percent of the traffic is moving.
Blacksmith Hill Downhill Uphill
Mean Speed 28 27
85th % ile 35 34
So on the face of it, the traffic is not that fast!
It’s interesting to see not just the overall averages, but specific speeds, at each hour of the day. The graphs of this analysis are on the above links but in summary are as follows:
School Lane - Downhill
In the week, only 38 vehicles (5%) went downhill faster than 30mph. Most (72%) were below 25mph.
School Lane - Uphill
Uphill speeds are understandably slower and 81% were below 25mph
Blacksmith Hill – Downhill
Speeds are obviously higher than School Lane and 235 vehicles (13%) went downhill faster than 35mph. Nearly 60% drove down below 30mph
Blacksmith Hill - Uphill
Only 8% drove uphill greater than 35mph and most (65%) were below 30mph.
So overall, not too much of a problem. By the way, the fastest drivers seem to be the locals!
(This was an article I put into the Country News at the time)
These were in place for a week in January 2008 on Blacksmith Hill (the main road) and School Lane (past the village hall). It turned out that no vehicles exceeded the national 60mph speed limit. However, this is of course far too fast for our lanes. Here are some of the results (all mph):-
School Lane Downhill Uphill
Mean Speed 21 20
85th % ile 28 27 85th percentile speed, is that speed at or below which 85 percent of the traffic is moving.
Blacksmith Hill Downhill Uphill
Mean Speed 28 27
85th % ile 35 34
So on the face of it, the traffic is not that fast!
It’s interesting to see not just the overall averages, but specific speeds, at each hour of the day. The graphs of this analysis are on the above links but in summary are as follows:
School Lane - Downhill
In the week, only 38 vehicles (5%) went downhill faster than 30mph. Most (72%) were below 25mph.
School Lane - Uphill
Uphill speeds are understandably slower and 81% were below 25mph
Blacksmith Hill – Downhill
Speeds are obviously higher than School Lane and 235 vehicles (13%) went downhill faster than 35mph. Nearly 60% drove down below 30mph
Blacksmith Hill - Uphill
Only 8% drove uphill greater than 35mph and most (65%) were below 30mph.
So overall, not too much of a problem. By the way, the fastest drivers seem to be the locals!
(This was an article I put into the Country News at the time)