Stock Parish Council, Stock Community Speedwatch and the family and friends of Freddie Coleman joined forces behind the ‘Stock Against Speeding’ campaign on Wednesday morning.
A year on from the tragic death of popular 15-year-old Freddie and his friend being seriously injured after being hit by a car as they made their way to school in Billericay by bus on 3 November 2023, BBC Look East visited the village to highlight the desire for road safety measures to be introduced on the High Street/Stock Road.
Watch BBC Look East’s report here.
Freddie’s father Jason, supported by family members and friends, spoke publicly for the first time of the shock and grief he, his wife, Freddie’s siblings and the village as a whole felt and has dealt with for 12 months, and the collective desire for measures to be put in place to prevent another tragedy.
Supported by villagers, the Parish Council has applied to Essex Highways to install average speed cameras, reduce the speed limit through the village to 20mph and replace pedestrian crossings to improve safety for pedestrians and all road users.
Meanwhile, the volunteer-led Community Speedwatch scheme continues to catch dozens of speeding motorists in the High Street/Stock Road and Mill Road. Well over 300 speeding vehicles have been detected since March 2024, including some travelling in excess of 50mph, and their details passed to Essex Police.
However, despite the huge support for measures to be introduced, and the results of Essex Highways surveys showing thousands of motorists speeding through the village every week and justifying a signal-controlled crossing outside Budgen’s, and the information collected by Community Speedwatch, to date no significant new road safety measures have been introduced.
The Parish Council has agreed to release £100,000 towards the cost of average speed cameras in the High Street/Street, but have now been informed by Essex Highways that this scheme cannot progress until guidance from the Department for Transport has been received.
In the meantime, the Parish Council has agreed to fund Vehicle Activated Signs which inform drivers of their speed by flashing their speed in red or green and will progress towards the purchase and installation of these signs.
The Parish Council has also been informed that, as the High Street/Stock Road has County Priority Route 1 (PR1) status, a 20mph limit will only be introduced if approval is given by the Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Highways. However, any change can only take place when the investigation and proceedings relating to Freddie’s death have been completed.
The Parish Council had previously been told that conversion of the Zebra Crossing outside Budgen’s into a signal-controlled Puffin Crossing was justified. However, a technical inspection has since been completed and a Puffin Crossing cannot be installed. Instead, the Zebra Crossing will be upgraded, but Essex Highways have informed us that this will not take place until after March 2025 due to funding.
An application to move the bus stop outside the Bishop’s House closer to the village centre has also been turned down.
The Parish Council has also been informed by Essex Highways that the results of speed surveys carried out on Downham Road and on the B1007 to the north of the village do not justify the reduction of speed limits from 60mph to 40mph on those two roads.
Further applications have been made for a 20mph in roads in the village centre, including Mill Road, and the Parish Council has agreed to fund speed surveys with a view to having this lower limit introduced.
Stock Parish Council and Stock Community Speedwatch will continue to work tirelessly to introduce measures to make the roads in and around the village safer for everyone, and thank villagers for their ongoing support for the ‘Stock Against Speeding’ campaign.
Should you wish to back the campaign, have your own ideas to help improve road safety, or wish to join the Community Speedwatch, please email the Parish Clerk at clerk@stock-pc.gov.uk
The Parish Council will hold its next monthly meeting on Tuesday 12 November at 7.30pm at Stock Cricket Club.
