Cars reaching motorway speeds near school at Biddenham Turn

“One recent crash clearly involved high speeds,” a council spokesperson said, adding, “amazingly, nobody was hurt.”

Data from the Speed Indication Device (SID) on Biddenham Turn revealed vehicles are reaching motorway speeds in the 30mph zone near the school.

David Brough, clerk and proper officer to Biddenham Parish Council, said: “The data shows vehicles travelling over 70mph, with a shocking maximum of 93mph recorded during school pick-up time.”

In response to these concerns, the parish council approached Bedford Borough Council to request average speed cameras. However, the borough council was unable to provide funding for the cameras.

“Fortunately, we’ve received Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds from the Saxon Park development,” Mr Brough said.

“A portion of these funds has been allocated to tackling the speeding problem.”

After reviewing options, the parish council determined that average speed cameras would be more effective over this long stretch of road than speed tables.

The cost for a pair of cameras, including five years of maintenance at £35,000, has been estimated by Bedford Borough Council at £180,000 subject to the outcome of the tender process with suppliers.

“It’s a significant investment, but one the parish councillors believe is necessary to address the issue,” Mr Brough said.

Bedford Borough Council said it does not use SIDs to determine levels of speeding.

“SIDs are not calibrated and we cannot therefore determine the accuracy of any data that is collected,” a spokesperson said.

“Bedford Borough Council receives no contribution from any of the fines associated with these enforcement devices.

“In addition to the capital cost, there is an ongoing revenue charge associated with calibration and maintenance.

“As more sites are introduced, this cost places an increasing burden on council resources, with ongoing revenue costs of £3,000 – £5,000 per annum per site,” they said.

The borough council said it has more than 90 requests for average speed cameras across the borough, and it can confirm that Biddenham Turn, Main Road and Bromham Road in Biddenham are all on the list.

“All sites will be considered for funding, as and when monies are available for this work,” the spokesperson said.

“Bedford Borough Council is currently working with Biddenham Parish Council to design a scheme for average speed cameras in Biddenham Turn, which the Parish Council are considering funding with their CIL monies.”

Bedfordshire Police said that it doesn’t use SIDs to determine where it carries out speed checks.

A police spokesperson said: “As the results from SIDs aren’t always accurate, we don’t use that data when deciding where to conduct speed enforcement.

“But they do give us a good understanding of how busy a particular road is as they record the volume of vehicles passing through, so we can use that information in our planning.

“We have conducted speed enforcement in Biddenham at various times of the day.

“[However] no Traffic Offence Report (TORS) have been issued in Biddenham,” they said.

Biddenham Parish Council plans to proceed with the installation and it may consider a similar scheme for Bromham Road, subject to the availability of funding.