Two solar-powered signs on the A38 in Churchill flash 30mph Slow Down at drivers over the limit and record their speeds. Bristol Airport's fund gave £10,000.

Two electronic signs on the A38 in Churchill now flash “30mph Slow Down” at drivers who come through the village above the speed limit. Churchill Parish Council installed them on 21 October, one facing northbound traffic and one facing southbound.

Each sign stands about 80 metres inside the 30mph zone. The parish council says that placing is deliberate: it catches drivers who have passed the speed limit signs but have not slowed down enough. The signs are solar powered, were supplied by Messagemaker Displays, and light up only when an approaching vehicle is travelling above the threshold they are set to.

Why the parish council wanted them

The parish council led the project after residents raised concerns about speeding on the A38, and about what it does to road safety, noise and pollution for people living along the route.

Councillor Jackie Bush, speaking for Churchill Parish Council, said: “People living beside the A38 see and hear the impact of speeding every day. They want drivers to remember that this road runs through their village. These signs give drivers another clear reminder to slow down.”

She thanked “the Bristol Airport Environmental and Amenity Improvement Fund, North Somerset Council and Centregreat for helping us bring the project to life.”

Who paid and who put them up

The Bristol Airport Environmental and Amenity Improvement Fund gave £10,000 towards the project, and Churchill Parish Council put in £1,000.

North Somerset Council gave permission for the installation and advised on the equipment specification and how the signs had to be installed. The contractor Centregreat put them up. The parish council will look after their maintenance from now on.

Tracy Comer, Community Relations Manager at Bristol Airport, said the airport was “delighted to support Churchill Parish Council with the purchase of the new electronic signs through our Local Community Fund.”

“We recognise the importance of road safety and welcome this positive initiative, which is a great example of the types of projects that can benefit from the fund,” she said. “We are proud to have worked alongside Churchill Parish Council to help bring this project to life, and hope the solar powered signs will make a lasting contribution to the village.”

The airport says details of its Local Community Fund, and how to apply, are on its website.

Mark O’Brien, Area Contracts Manager at Centregreat, said the installation “demonstrates how relatively simple but effective technology can help encourage better driver behaviour and raise awareness of speed limits.” He also thanked the firm’s installation team.

The signs are counting speeds too

As well as flashing the warning, the signs record the speed of every vehicle that passes. The parish council will use the figures to judge whether the signs are actually slowing drivers down, and to inform future talks with North Somerset Council about managing traffic on the A38.

Cllr Hugh Malyan, North Somerset Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We know that speeding through villages is a concern for many residents, and projects like this show what can be achieved when local communities, councils and partners work together. These new signs provide a clear reminder to drivers to slow down and help make the A38 through Churchill a safer route for everyone.”

“The speed data they collect will also give us valuable information to help understand driver behaviour and support future discussions about traffic management in the area,” he said.

Patrick Keating, the North Somerset councillor for Blagdon and Churchill, called the signs “a practical step to help remind drivers to slow down as they pass through the village. This makes the road safer for residents, pedestrians and other road users.” He thanked the parish council “for driving this project forward, alongside Bristol Airport and North Somerset Council for their support in making it happen.”

What it means for you

  • Driving the A38 through Churchill: the limit is 30mph, and if the sign about 80 metres past the speed limit signs lights up, you are over the threshold it is set to.
  • Your speed is being recorded: the signs log passing speeds for the parish council. The parish council will use the figures to see whether the signs are working.
  • Living on the A38: the speed figures will feed into the parish council’s future discussions with North Somerset Council about traffic on the road. The wider A38 improvement scheme, which has £26m of government funding, is separate.
  • Got a road safety idea for your own village? Bristol Airport’s Local Community Fund paid for most of this project, and the airport says how to apply is set out on its website.