Early morning speed check outside Pool Academy clocks 52 drivers

If Church Road is part of your morning drive, the number on your speedometer may have been noted.

Officers from the Devon & Cornwall Police Road Safety Team spent Friday morning (13 November) watching traffic outside Cornwall College and Pool Academy. And the results weren’t what they had hoped for.

52 vehicles over the limit

The team arrived early on Church Road in Pool, timing the visit for when students were turning up for breakfast clubs and other pre-school activities.

In that time, 52 vehicles were detected going faster than the 20mph speed limit. The team described the figure as very disappointing.

A school day that starts early and finishes late

Part of the message is about timing. It’s easy to think of a school as busy for half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the afternoon, and quiet the rest of the time.

The team pointed out that isn’t how it works. Breakfast clubs, after-school clubs, study groups and sports sessions all stretch the active school day, so students can be arriving or leaving hours before or after normal school hours.

So a road that looks quiet at 7.45am, or at 5pm, can still have young people walking along it.

What drivers are being asked to do

The request is a simple one. Take extra care with your speed whenever you’re near a school, whatever the time of day.

As the team put it, “a young person’s future could be in your hands.”

📷Church Road, Pool, outside Pool Academy. Credit: Google Maps