New speed indicator device installed in Little Harrowden to make area 'safer for all road users'

Members of Little Harrowden Parish Council have unveiled a new speed indicator device (SID) in a bid to make the road safer for people who use it.

On Wednesday, November 1, chairman of the parish council Nathan Cope alongside other councillors introduced the device to Orlingbury Road.

He said: “Our goal has always been to make the roads in Little Harrowden safer for all road users.

"We have operated vehicle activated speed signs for many years but the data from the devices was showing that these were having less and less impact.

"We considered that we needed to upgrade to something of a more modern appearance.”

The new solar-powered speed indicator device features green and red happy and grumpy emojis as well as a number that gives drivers notice of when they are exceeding the speed limit.

The road, which connects Little Harrowden to Orlingbury, has room for two lanes of traffic, with the speed limit reducing to 30mph when entering each village.

In a report presented by Martin Jeffery to the parish council in May, data collected from 46,023 vehicles going westbound suggests that the average speed in that portion of Orlingbury road is 31.1mph, with a high speed of 75mph being recorded on the evening of April 12.

This is despite Martin claiming Orlingbury Road ‘isn’t the fastest bit of road’ in Little Harrowden.

He subsequently submitted an application for a grant from the Northamptonshire Police Fire and Crime Commissioner’s Safer Streets Fund.

He also noted the future intention to placing a SID in Hardwick Road and Hilltop Road.

Cllr and vice chairman of the parish council Yvonne Blood, who set up a community speed watch which she manages and operates with a team of volunteers, was also at the unveiling.

The device does not feature any recording devices and doesn’t collect data, it is intended for ‘educational’ purposes.

Nathan added: “We do take speeding in this village very seriously.

“On behalf of the parish council we’d like to thank the members of the public who are members of the speed watch.”