General Discussion
Boy Racers and Inconsiderate Drivers
Something needs to be done about the boy racers, bad drivers and people on quad bikes that seem to think it is acceptible to bomb it around Dawlish. I am talking about Old Town Street, that seems to have become the new drag racing route, but I would assume it is happening all over Dawlish.
Only the other day I was driving up Old Town Street to park my car and some dickhead in a Blue flash sports car almost dissapeared up my exhaust! And in the summer the Quad bikers and pathetic boys on hairdrier motorbikes are a nightmare.
Earlier this week my cat was hit by a car speeding in Old Town Street, fortunately he survived, but is badly beaten up!!!!
And what should I see this morning, only a couple of days since my cat was hit, but another cat that had been hit that was not so lucky. A beautiful Ginger cat that had been left at the side of the road after being hit. I doubt the person who hit him stopped to check if he was alright or not!!!
There are alot of animals that live in Old Town Street and the number of fatalities is increasing each year!
It is not just the animals though, there are a number of old people who live in Old Town Street and the surrounding roads. It is a narrow road at the best of times due to the parking issues.
What is it going to take for people to slow their driving down or for the council to recognise speeding restrictions of some form are needed in this fast becoming racing circuit that is called Dawlish!!!!
Counsellors, wake up and do some thing about it before more are killed!
I agree
.. they are so sad with the noisy exhaust and think they are so clever.
Should not be allowed on the road until 21.
Taxi drivers are also a law until themselves, I have seen them doing U turns and why do so many over the pavement to park ?
It would be good if there could be speed cameras that would take the number plate and there could be funded by the penalties received.. would be many!
i totally agree about the boy racers that roar through the town, however with regards to the taxi drivers they are permitted to park on the pavement and even block the road for a maximum of twenty minutes if need to in the line of business, alot of them do the best they can while on duty , bearing in mind the rest of dawlish drivers being boy racers or old age pensioners .
I think we have had this discussion before and it just gets worse.
They race up and down sandy lane and along the exeter road passing the centre bollards on the wrong side. Perhaps the speed cameras at the holcombe dip and shutterton which are rumoured to be discarded should be installed elsewhere
I agree that something needs to be done about these young racers. A big concern is around Sandy Lane and the Elm Grove Estate area. I've witnessed numerous speeding cars with some trying to over take the other going up Sandy lane where there are young children playing in the park and around that area. It would only take one of these inexperienced boy racers to loose control of the wheel for a horrendous tragedy to happen and i believe if nothing is done something will happen. These boys think they are invincible but trust me not only would they ruin the lives of an innocent child and their family but they would probably live to regret their mindless actions.
Just a point regarding taxi drivers. They are not allowed to block a road for upto 20 minutes in the line of business. By law they have no more right than any other vehicle. Even Royal Mail vehicles could technically get a parking ticket if a traffic warden so desired. It really all just boils down to common sense and everyone being considerate to others.
It was mentioned earlier that this issue has been discussed before. Would anyone know if the Council was ever approached about it, as I feel that maybe we need to start talking to them about our concerns as this matter is affecting all of us and many probably feel that it would be a better way of spending council funds rather than the cctv cameras that will probably have no effect!
I did phone Teigbridge council some time ago expressing my concerns about the speeding trafic leading to the leisure centre, also elmgrove road leading to the schools and suggested some sort of trafic calming and speed control similar to the system leading into Dawlish Warren but was told there was no money available as it was all used for Dawlish Warren.
Why should considerate drivers have to put up with the attics of in-considerate drivers who are few in number and would be very easy to apprehend.
Speed bumps are not the answer. They do not affect motorcyclists or buses or lorries or larger vans or even bigger wider cars. So why should ordinary drivers have to endure the pain.
I am all in favour of getting them to consider other road users, animals as well as people, but not with speed bumps thankyou.
I dont know if it is me but i have noticed that a number of these boy racing tossers have the sticker spralled across their windscreen "Mecha Sport" i have seen a number of them with that sticker driving like complete idiots and espically at night and on roads that they know that the police dont patrol down if they can be bothered at all. For christs sake dawlish is a seaside down not a sodding rally trial.
JJ, If you can see what is happening and I can see what is happening, what is the plod doing about it?
It is the mentality of these inconsiderate motorists that need to be addressed, not dress up the roads with uneccesary obstacles that affect all our lives whether physically or mentally.
There is a tremendous amount of bad driving, and it is not only the boy racers that fall into that category.
I recommend that we all get in touch with the local council and voice our concerns. Perhaps if they receive a large volume of complaints they will do something about it.
IF YOU ALL PHONE AND COMPLAIN ON 08705 777444 THE POLICE WILL STOP IT. KEEP PHONING DAY AFTER DAY THEY WILL SOON SORT IT. GO AND SKATE BOARD IN MARINE PARADE AND SEE HOW LONG BEFORE A OFFICER ARRIVES AND MOVES YOU ON!!!!
I have to agree dawlish is turning into a race track...where are the police!! Ah I know looking after the speed cameras; it is only a matter of time before someone is killed.
Would it be possible to reverse the traffic flow in the High Street and then remove traffic apart from deliveries in thr Strand. 'Car free shopping' would make it better and solve the pathway that is often pointed out as being crowded. Newton Abbot and Exeter High Street are car free so why not Dawlish.. what do yout think ? .. I can't be doing with cars and not proud to go bu bus or not as the case may be!
Think lots of us would like the Strand to be pedestrianised, trouble is the councillors here are not forward thinking - it was one of their ridiculous ideas to have double parking down the Strand. A neighbour complained to the councillor that she thought it was dangerous with car doors opening onto the road, but she said it was a waste of time talking to him as apparently it was his idea to start with to have this dangerous double parking and he wasn't willing to listen to any residents concerns. The only way to change things is for as many residents as possible who agree that the Strand should be pedestrianised during shopping hours to put pressure on the Council, and the Chamber of Commerce in Dawlish. I, like you, hate shopping in Dawlish with the crowded pavements and car fumes and go elsewhere to shop.
Good comment, but look at the "Mary Poppins" topic, and you will understand what dealing with a crummy council is like.
No sexagenarians, please, we're councillors.
The new Dawlish council, presided over by Mary Poppins act-alike, Rosalind Prowse, has got off to a flying start. It has already stamped its authority on the Manor House -- and on the voters who put it there. From now on, residents who might be tempted to raise matters of puplic interest will not be able to do so. They must wait until the meeting has ended before, being allowed to speak. Of course, by then this superior class of Rosalind's babies will have gone home for their ovaltine. There is a blatant attempt to silence not only sexagenarians, but anybody else who might ask awkward questions. It is not only an affront to democracy and our intelligence, but totally at odds with the efforts to engage the public in local government.
But at least we now know what the class of 2007 is all about: censorship, collusion and a cosy cross-party arrangement to thwart the voters and maintain the status quo. Ideal qualifications for a 'quality' council.
From the comments regarding the councellors, maybe the tact is to run with the telephone number to the police over and over again, however I am not sure how they will be able to help when there is more chance of a ufo landing on the lawn than the police venturing into Dawlish!
What is it about our town? The police are invisible and the councellors are useless!!!!
Very upset resident, you say, "What is it about our town? The police are invisible and the councellors are useless!!!!"
Well not so much the police, but most councillors that I have come across, will only act in a positive way, if there is something in it for them. If they see no advantage in it for them, don't even bother to mention it.
I only hope that the counsellors don't have an accident themselves or know of anyone or any animal that is hit before they realise that getting these drivers to slow down is of benefit to themselves!
We need action now to stop them, not once someone dead!
Most of us did it for the expenses, the self aggrandisement and the access to kickbacks for development properties.
I've just returned to Hampshire from a week spent in a caravan at Oakcliff Holiday Park in Dawlish Warren and it was the worst holiday I have ever been on. All day and all night cars speeding up and down Mount Pleasent Road like it was Silverstone with loud exhausts and booming stereos. It happened at all hours, even 3am, and also we could hear them speeding round the beach car parks at night. The speed bumps on the hill are a joke - they speed up to them and slowly go over them and then rev there engines and wheelspin away up to the next speed bump. I phoned the police one night and they said someone will be sent to investigate, I had a phone call from a policeman later and of course the boy racers had gone and he said that he could not see anything plus he was parked up by the Welcome Holiday Park which is not where I was staying.
I have stayed at Oakcliff Holiday Park 3 previous times and it was nice and quiet so I do not know what the hell has happened since then.
When I gave the key in to leave the receptionist said that the police do nothing about them and that when we had all the flooding a few months ago the carparks were flooded and around 15 of them were speeding through the water and making it spray up everywhere.
I will be writing a letter to Devon police and the Mayor of Dawlish next week to let them know exactly what I think of the place.
I am really disapointed that this has happened as I like Dawlish and Dawlish Warren.
The only way to stop this is to put a load of speed cameras up along Mount Pleasent Road, close the overflow car parks when empty and get more police to patrol the area. If nothing is done then holiday makers will not return to Dawlish Warren. There is no way I will stay at Dawlish Warren again - I would rather stay in a holiday flat in Dawlish town.
This is such a shame that someone had their holiday spoiled and as always bad news spreads faster than good news, so people will be put off of coming to Dawlish Warren for holidays.
I completely and utterly agree with the comments that if you keep badgering the Police eventually they will have to do something about it.
Just lately I've seen an idiot in a noisy white car hanging around the Elm Grove area revving his engine and stting off quite fast, not bad enough for me to take his number and report him - yet, but I wouldn't hesitate to do so if I felt it necessary.
It is up to us a residents to re-claim our streets and residential areas, if you want to stop this anti social behaviour then take action, keep on at the Police, keep complaining to the Councils (Dawlish, Teignbridge and Devon, especially Devon as they fund road stuff) - eventually money will be found if enough complaints and publicity force it.
Let's see the streets safe enough for our kids to play out in again.
I agree, one of the worse areas is sandy lane leading to the car park where they rev their engins and skid around before heading towards the elm grove estate.
Going back to some of the comments made earlier, some suggest getting the police or local council involved,
sounds good in theory but!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is rather strange the need to go 'brum brum brum', the answer is to not allow them on the road until they are 21 and a bit nore responsible, the roads are too cluttered anyway. OR as you say place cameras that take the number plate and a fine goes in the post, surely the returns will pay for the cameras.
Dawlish Warren/Dawlish has been spoilt by cars with loud exhaust systems...please sign this petition I found on the 10 Downing Street website:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ban-loud-exhaust/