Take action on speeders

Vehicles speeding on our roads endangers lives and safety. This dangerous behaviour has increased in lockdown. Some of the speeds in 30mph zones are shocking and dangerous.

Community Speed Watch volunteers do a great job in trying to protect their areas and are too often abused for their efforts. In the last few days I met 20 frustrated parishes and CSW teams in North Wiltshire. Their tales were the serial speeders and no action being taken were horrifying.

I and they know that technology ‎has a very important role to play in tackling speeding. The cost of cameras has fallen dramatically and their effectiveness has increased. These cameras operate automatically throughout the hours of daylight. The camera data goes to CSW volunteers. These dedicated volunteers can identify the speeders from this data. They also spot vehicles on our roads without insurance and tax can also be identified. The speeders, including commercial drivers, can be warned to change their ways. The hotspots of speeders times and places can drive effective, official Police action and prosecution.

The technology is there. Many communities in Wiltshire have already bought cameras and Speed Indicator Devices. So why isn't more effective action being taken?

The ‎failure rests with the Conservative political leaderships of Wiltshire Council, Swindon Borough Council and our current Conservative police and crime commissioner. The first two scrapped the Camera Safety Partnership and have taken no real interest since. Attempts by Lib Dem councillors on the Wiltshire Crime Panel to raise this issue have been blocked. Our Tory PCC has failed to back CSW teams from taking real action against speeders and has even refused to meet camera manufacturers to learn what they can do to help. I have already done this.

Liz Webster

Prospective Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon

Division of labour

Emma Barnet, in BBC Women’s Hour, was perplexed as she assumed the future of Muslim women very bleak as imams.

She questioned the newly elected Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, Zara Mohammed, about the number of female imams in the UK as a yardstick of women empowerment. Such questions do create a hype on social media and attract attention.

As a Muslim woman, I am sure those who actually understand Islam might find this question irrelevant. The beautiful religion is often misunderstood.

In my opinion the question asked in the programme does not address the issue of women empowerment holistically.

The Holy Qur’an teaches us to pray for our children – irrespective of gender – to be leaders of the righteous. Every Muslim is a leader as per their role in the society.

This leadership cannot be limited to leading the obligatory Prayer. Can we argue that the role of childbearing has been given to women, and that they have been given the emotional strength as well?

This responsibility does not mean women do not have right to education or to pursue a profession. Similarly not being able to lead men in Prayer does not deprive women! It is a mere division of responsibility!

Arfa Yassir

Lynmouth Road

Swindon

Bring in Paolo

Re: The Towns parlous state, I recommend - Dear Lee, call Paolo NOW, before it is too late (and before he would have to isolate for 14 days)!

Roger Foord

Chorleywood

Hertfordshire