PENARTH Police have given their backing to calls for a pedestrian crossing on Plassey Street in a bid to slow down speeding motorists.

During a Penarth Town Council meeting last night (November 13) St Augustine’s ward Councillor Gwyn Roberts asked Sergeant Ioan Jones if the police had considered temporary speed cameras on Plassey Street after the matter was raised at a recent PACT meeting.

Sgt Jones said PCSO’s Rhys Allen and Gareth Parry had been working with Paul Daniels from the Highways Department to monitor speeding motorists, but said it was difficult to catch speeding motorists as when they saw the police they slowed down before speeding off again.

He added: “Plassey Street was quite bumpy but now that they have flattened it out it’s a bit like a runway feeling.

“I like the idea of a crossing by Patrick’s newsagents.”

Cllr Roberts said they were looking at actions to slow speed down, that there would be a crossing by Glebe Street, and that they were also considering altering the road junction with Windsor Road by the roundabout to stop motorists “accelerating quickly” up the road.

Plassey Street residents recently relaunched the ‘20 is Plenty for Penarth’ campaign, which calls for a 20mph speed limit across the town, and demanded more pedestrian crossings on the road that runs parallel to Windsor Road.

Local residents have warned that unless speeding is tackled in the area there could be a fatal accident, as many children use the road several times a day to get to and from school.

The Vale council has said that an initial consultation last year showed there was no support for 20mph zones in Penarth, but said that it was currently considering a range of options, including crossings and traffic calming measures, as well as a further consultation in the very near future.