Officers respond to concerns about anti-social driving in the village

I noticed the noise levels in the village were better yesterday and it was a glorious day as was Bank Holiday Monday when a stream of these wretched super car drivers did several circuits around the village...processsing up Heyes Lane and obstructing the regular traffic and costant revving of their engines., the noise was objectionable.

It's not just exotic supercars ruining the village now. It's attracting boy racers in clapped out Fords and Hondas with loud exhausts. Absolutely dreadful.

I strongly suspect both PCSO Edwards and PC Needham may need to cancel any holidays they have booked for the foreseeable. The recent articles from the MEN newspaper and Daily Mirror continue to publicise AE as 'Inside the wealthy village where every other car is a supercar and superfans flock for photos'. and make out its the place to be seen with your car. Needless to say both newspaper articles were about supercars and the spotter taking photos of cars travelling up and down the village with only roughly 4-5 lines of print on 'Some of the residents feel we encourage the car owners to speed up and rev their engines, when all we do is take photos'. Not quite sure where Mr Belsham of Burnage got his accurate phrase 'Some of the residents' when he lives in Burnage?
Oh and apparently the special 'Supercar Spotter' event is setup for July?, which I am assured Cheshire Police will know all about in advance via viewing their instagram account for the actual date! They may even want to nod a wink to Mr Dwyer our PCC to let him know before he gets a lot of correspondence.
And as Andy pointed out above I dont think it will be that long before more boy racers start to join in when they see the publicity being given to this subject.

All the Police need to do is site a couple of stingers strategically and job done ;)

We've been raising the nuisance of boy racers rasping their exhausts up and down the A34 around Wilmslow for ages but NOTHING is being done by our councillors - Goldsmith, Stockton, Macfarlane, Fox & Jefferay - and even the Deputy leader for Cheshire east, Alderley Edge's own Craig Browne.
This video from the USA shows the sort of nerds that we are up against. the bit about exhausts starts at 3min 20 seconds into the recording, so miss the first part about a dint in a door.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLTCcy8UauI

Or this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPv5wATfIF8

All about nerds with mostly expensive cars and exhausts that make unsociably irritating noises when required by the nerd behind the wheel. They just go up and down the A34 as though it is a race track and enjoy making a racket slowing down into the roundabouts and again as they leave - ALL JUST FOR PLEASURE. They aren't going anywhere in particular and just go up and down the A34 to let you know they are having fun whilst you might be wishing to enjoy some peace and quiet in your garden or have the windows open on a sunny day. Or are you one of the can’t-care-less residents who just turns up the volume on the TV so you can’t hear them so much?

If you can’t be bothered to watch the first two videos at least watch this one when things go wrong!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LidF1gF3YQ

Fast cars - slow brains [if any at all] - but, hey it’s all just for fun so okay, but how long before a ‘lad’ with camera gets smacked against a wall and then which councillors will claim they have been dealing with sorting out this problem for a long time?

I have reported to the police on numerous occasions the cars speeding down Prestbury road ( link road to A34) thus seems to being used as a race track for vehicles with extremely noisy exhausts.
This behaviour is really effecting local residents.
This road has a 60mph speed limit and I strongly feel the speed limit should be reduce due to its close proximity to Wilmslow high school.

https://youtu.be/0LidF1gF3YQ
Please watch this.
This is the type of driving we are seeing on the Prestbury road that link to the A34.
Not only is the noise effecting local residents I fear that due to the close proximity to the school an accident is waiting to happen.
Please reduce the speed limit and add a speed camera to this road.

Maybe take the registrations and get ASBOs taken out? Not sure of procedure. Get a picture with the reg and e-mail to the police?

YES Jeremy Levy: your video link is the same one as the third one of mine!
OK Councillors - when are we going to hear from ALL of you.
Please note that in these videos there are young lads standing around with cameras WAITING and WANTING something to happen like a crash so they can get an image worth posting on social media. ALSO everyone [including councillors and police and Craig Browne] take note in these videos of the FUN and LAUGHTER and GLEE and APPLAUSE that something has gone wrong and is an event to be ENJOYED.
If YOU are the parent of a young lad who you know attends this sort of gathering either in Wilmslow or anywhere else, you should be aware of the dangers that your son is 'enjoying' and should he one day die as a result of his 'too close enjoyment' IT WILL BE ALL YOUR FAULT for not explaining why this sort of activity by nerds in cars is nothing to be admired and watched.
Incidentally, seeing how these expensive cars just fall apart in the slightest of accident wouldn't make me want to drive one even if you gave me one and paid for the fuel and insurance. They are all made to be as light as possible so as to accelerate faster [o'level standard Newton law of motion number 2] and do this by being made of plastic which just falls off in the slightest bump leaving not much underneath to protect the occupants. Yet nerds with more money than sense/brains buy these ugly vehicles in the vain hope to be something they can never be [in full control of a powerful machine] or admired by more of us who just see them as mostly inadequate persons of little sensible interest.
In all the accidents in these videos it can be hoped they are insured only third party fire and theft so have to pay for repairs out of their own pockets.

Mark . I suggested to the police that they should look at a certain Instagram account in order to collect the regs of some of the offenders and was told that they couldn’t take any course of action from photographic or video evidence.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-derbyshire-50127635
This would suggest you can Fiona

It seems our police are either turning a blind eye or cannot access and use the internet

David Smith appears to be correct in that nothing is being done despite locals being asked fr their suggestions. Traffic through Alderley is way past the levels measured by the needs of local business parking and the needs of local residents. Besides the apparent interest in supercars, some through traffic seem to be fascinated by the lifestyle choices of the pedestrians, cafe customers and the like. The by-pass, as its name implies was built to encourage through traffic to avoid the village centre. Some of the suggestions received by our excellent local counsellor Craig Brown include sleeping policemen, mini-roundabout at Brook Lane/London Road junction and other traffic calming measures. None of these have been installed or apparently considered. Equally, the often-quoted one-way system on Chorley Hall Lane has not yet been introduced. I respectfully request Craig to use his position on Cheshire East council to expedite these and other traffic calming measures. Many of the low slung supercars cannot comfortably negotiate road humps and would soon get fed up with being stuck in slow-moving queues, as would the endless stream of rubberneckers who would realise that the bypass is the best option.

09Jun21:
In rather timely fashion by pure coincidence:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_radio_fourfm

This is a link to the BBC Radio4 PM Programme of 9th June 2021.
The interesting snippet starts at 17 minutes into the programme and features a 'decibel camera' that has been deployed in the London borough of Kensington to combat the exact same noise nuisance that we are complaining about here. So have a listen and will ALL councillors please look into this and report back ASAP.

I would suggest a sliding fine regime however, that starts at say £100 for a first offence and then increases by £100 for subsequent 'offences' otherwise a fixed £100 fine will be seen as quite affordable for most of the wealthy nerds who buy these plastic cars and probably good value for a few hours 'fun' on a couple of evenings a week. Points added to the driver's licence would also be a good idea, leading towards a possible driving ban.

Additionally since my last posting:
I forgot to include the Wilmslow Town Councillors in my list of those who should be doing something about this.
In particular Town Councillor Chetan Katre who stated in his election manifesto “…I have a keen interest in road safety and will make this a top priority. I also want to improve Wilmslow as a place to live”. Hmmm…well how about getting on board this issue now and introducing the same system as deployed in Kensington. Wilmslow Town Council has financial funds in reserve that is waiting to be spent on issues in the town and this would be money well spent.

According to the information at https://www.wilmslowtowncouncil.gov.uk/councillors he lives at 4 Avondale Rise, which is next to the A538 bypass spur near Prestbury Road and so should have first-hand experience of this noise nuisance.

Also, I suspect many of these boy-racer vehicles have modified exhausts as demonstrated in one of the videos in my previous post. It is a requirement to inform the insurer of a vehicle if modifications have been made to a vehicle from the manufacturers standard. If not, then the insurance cover is invalid in event of a claim which will leave the owner financially liable but more importantly any third party claimant in a more difficult position as regards compensation for damage or personal injury.

Hi Jeffrey,

Thanks for your comments. In fact, the suggestions I consulted on last autumn have now been assessed, costed and developed into formal proposals. These are currently with the council’s statutory partners (police, ambulance, fire service etc) and awaiting feedback.

Assuming there is a positive response from statutory partners, the proposals will then be advertised as part of a formal public consultation (probably in a few weeks time). At that point, I will be asking all residents to respond positively to the consultation, so that the measures can be implemented as soon as possible thereafter.

I’m aware that all this probably sounds like a very long-winded approach, but unfortunately local government is very process oriented. On a positive note, the proposals are affordable within the original cost envelope and I have had confirmation that the funding is in place. As soon as the public consultation goes live, I will let everyone know.

Kind regards,
Craig

I say NO to speed bumps. Why should the good law abiding citizens of Alderley be punished for the antics of these narcissistic idiots?Paramedics/ambulance drivers hate them, they damage older cars and my wife experienced agony in an ambulance negotiating the speed humps around Upton Park when she fell and broke her hip near the Hospice. The idiots will just race up Heyes Lane instead. I say a resounding YES to the decibel recorders as they have really improved the lives of sleeping residents of Knightsbridge and Chelsea

Wow, Tony, sit yourself down a pour a stiff drink! I agree with you about 'humps'.

Plenty of ordinary cars, new or old, suffer damage to suspension and tyre walls (damage often not easily seen externally, so quite dangerous) even when speed humps are negotiated at slow speed. Specifically, broken springs and tears in the inside tyre wall. Road humps are the unimaginative lazy option for councils, and as you point out, the effects on ambulance occupants are not inconsiderable.

Also, many vehicles in this area are massive 4X4s more like farm tractors with a saloon body on top than cars, and these just sail over the humps at any speed they wish.

As you say, why punish the law abiding majority. There are more creative solutions to the problem; take a look at what they do in the Netherlands, for instance (I have posted about this on here before).

4x4s are a problem too. I've lost count of how many times I've approached Chorley Hall lane bridge with a 4x4 coming towards me in the middle of the road. Any chance of having the white lines in the middle of London road repainted Craig? They've pretty much disappeared now. Especially by the old Natwest bank.

https://youtu.be/0LidF1gF3YQ
Please watch this.
This is the type of driving we are seeing on the Prestbury road that link to the A34.
Not only is the noise effecting local residents I fear that due to the close proximity to the school an accident is waiting to happen.
Please reduce the speed limit and add a speed camera to this road.

CRAIG BROWNE & anyone else who is interested.
ACCOUSTIC CAMERAS:
I’ve followed up the BBC Radio4 snippet about acoustic cameras in the London Borough of Kensington.
Quite easy really, I just went to their website and you can read all about it at these links:

https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/newsroom/all-council-statements/acoustic-cameras-reinstalled-monitor-noisy-drivers

The cameras were tested over a few months until December 2020.
The short video in the link doesn’t give much information.
This link gives some details of the funding and structure of the system under their NCIL.

https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/neighbourhood-community-infrastructure-levy-ncil

Scroll down and note the cost of 2 cameras [£18,000] and the comparative cost of installing traffic calming measures [H06 £30,000] & speed bumps [H08 £12,000]. The cost of the camera system is offset by fines collected whereas any 'speed bump' measures won't attract any financial 'income' at all.
So perhaps a couple of cameras in Alderley Edge would be about the same cost? Will councillor Browne state HERE the expected cost of his proposed speed bump and traffic calming measures that have been in gestation and planning for so long already and might sometime in the future be implemented? The only reasons that they will not are the excessive cost and not wanted by sufficient residents - PLUS a more viable system of acoustic cameras is now available and a better option so why plod along with a solution when better ones are available?

Knightsbridge has a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) which covers other anti-social behaviour as well as the noise nuisance from vehicles. Details are here:

https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/community-and-local-life/community-safety/public-spaces-protection-order-knightsbridge

I would expect the regulations to apply 24h for vehicle noise however and not 1200-0600 hrs.

So Craig Browne, have a look and tell us how this system compares to your proposal. That way we will know that you aren’t just stuck with implementing your own ideas for a solution and have at least looked at measures that have been proved to work for other councils. Perhaps you might give them a call and get some first-hand information/facts?

You’ve already stated that you are not bothered about local noise nuisance along the A34 bypass around Wilmslow despite being the deputy leader for Cheshire East [that includes Wilmslow] but perhaps our own councillors could look into acoustic cameras for OUR noise nuisance.

A suggestion to residents is to decline Councillor Browne’s plan when it is finally unveiled and insist on acoustic cameras.

David thanks for this info. I have looked into these further and they sound like a great idea
Apparently over 130 vehicles were papped by the cameras in the Chelsea trial which is some financial return when/if those drivers repeat offend. (The were given a warning on 1st offence)
It is also reported that excessive noise levels attribute towards damaging mental health, increasing blood pressure, increasing levels of anxiety to name but a few
Craig , I hope you look into this ASAP

Cracked it!

We need to arrange for the next G7 summit meeting to be held at the Drum & Monkey.

This week Devon & Cornwall Police have drafted in 5000 additional officers from other forces.

A ring of steel has been constructed around Carbis Bay and you cant get in or out of the area without being stopped and questioned.

The local Council have spent a fortune in getting the roads as smooth as billiard tables and Joe Biden et al will be forgiven for thinking that the whole of Cornwall smells like fresh Dulux Weathershield.

The only downside appears to be that residents are sick of the noise of low flying helicopters with suited, sun-glassed gentlemen hanging out of the side.

All this to look after Boris and his chums who are only there for three days.

Thanks Alan for your bewildering comment. I haven't a clue what it has to do with anti-social driving in Alderley Edge and other surrounding areas so perhaps you might explain in a bit more detail what on earth you are going on about? Thanks in anticipation.
PS: I don't do the usual 'social media' stuff like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tik-Tok etc [have I missed any?] but have heard that much nonsense is postulated by many who might know what they are rabbiting on about but the rest of us don't have a clue?

Alan was introducing a little bit of humour, David, to a couple of recurring subjects on here which are not intrinsically amusing. Can't quite see the G7 at the Drum & Monkey though - maybe the 'Edge'?

The deterrent effect on anti-social supercars might be temporary, but it would probably get that Somme-Battlefield-like section of Macclesfield Road resurfaced.

If you want a bit of a deviation from the same old theme Vince - and anyone else - have a look at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYY39px8vAw

BUT STARTING AT 17mins 13secs 17:13 into the video.
Something to make you think about road safety and how 'out of control' it can all suddenly become.

You don't need to look so far from home to see how easily low-skilled drivers can loose control their high powered cars. Two Ferrari supercars were written off (drivers unhurt), one in 2009 and one in 2015, in the Airport tunnels.

In both cases no other vehicle was involved yet the car impacted the tunnel wall at speed when the driver lost control, quite possibly through sudden application of power to hear that glorious engine note echoing in the confined space.

Apply sudden power in one of these extremely powerful cars and there is a good chance it will spin like a top. Imagine the consequences if that were to happen on a crowded London Road.

Yes Vince and one of them was Cristiano Ronaldo:

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/ronaldo-escapes-charge-over-ferrari-crash-1706372.html

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/ronaldo-driving-crash-car-for-first-907059

https://www.google.com/search?source=univ&tbm=isch&q=cristiano+ronaldo+car+crash+airport+tunnel&client=firefox-b-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiE0Pb7rZDxAhWLZMAKHbvvDiQQjJkEegQIBxAC&biw=1508&bih=1082

I'm no expert but t think these 'supercars' have too much power at low speed and so have a problem getting traction onto the road which results in directional control and so suddenly heading off in a direction of their own choosing which isn't where the driver wants to go. They have a better relationship with the tarmac at higher speeds when aerodynamic forces keep the wheels pressed down onto it and increase the grip. The problem is, the 'higher' speeds only tend to start considerably in excess of our maximum legal 70mph.limit. Perhaps someone can add to this?
I knew a mechanic who worked on all sorts of cars in his career and when asked once what his favourite car was he replied 'a Jaguar'. 'Not something like a Ferrari then," I asked. "Oh no, they are so uncomfortable and hurt my back whenever I go over the slightest bump'.
As I mentioned earlier they also seem to just fall to bits in a bump as most of the styling is made of 'plastic'.

Time to add here that there is a terrible accident waiting to happen in the likes of Alderley Edge.
Covid has really forced a pavement cafe/restaurant culture onto us, especially in this warmer weather. In a narrow main street like Alderley Edge any mishap similar to the ones that occurred in the airport tunnel and there will be no tunnel wall to prevent running onto the pavement and mowing down a row of eaters. I for one wouldn’t enjoy sitting on a pavement anywhere next to a busy road - and that is my safety advice to anyone willing to listen. Also, why would you want to have carbon monoxide exhaust fumes with your pizza or burger?

Craig how is the application for the PSPO going please.
I think your post is more geared towards the speed bump / speed limit proposal but no one mentions the planned PSPO which is more relevant to curtailing the noise pollution issue which is out of control and ties in nicely with the acoustic camera suggestion above.
What area will the PSPO cover and how will this be policed? That is , assuming it is happening at all?!

Just had a look at the PSPO which was mentioned by David and Fiona and is in force at Knightsbridge and it really does look the way forward, as it covers all the main issues here.

Revving of engine(s) (as to cause a public nuisance)
Sudden and/or rapid acceleration (as to cause a public nuisance)
Repeated sudden and/or rapid acceleration (as to cause a public nuisance)
Racing by two or more vehicles
Performing stunts (as to cause a public nuisance)
Sounding horns (as to cause a public nuisance)
Playing music from a vehicle (as to cause a public nuisance)
Using threatening, intimidating behaviour towards another person
Causing obstruction on a public highway, whether moving or stationary, including driving in convoy.
Members of the public can report breaches to the Knightsbridge council, get your pens and pencils ready!
I see we have had even more publicity from the 'Times' and the 'Daily Mail' on this issue in
the last 24 hours, I don't think there is anyone else left is there?

Agree with all of your points but if not policed then it will carry on
Drove through the village at 11.30 today and not one police car or officer was out all the way from wilmslow high roundabout through to Coggles mini roundabout yet cars were driving passed with firing exhausts (BMW in this case) , no number plates on fronts and photo oppers causing havoc yet again
Tired of being fobbed off by online police forums aka ticking box exercise and no action
One day (last weekend) is not going to stop what could have been dealt with over 12 months ago
Enough is enough!

"photo oppers causing havoc yet again" said Fiona -- I don't think so

Jon if you care to look at a local Facebook feed you will read of several accounts of these lads obstructing the traffic, jumping out into the carriageway and blocking the pavements etc
So I am not alone in witnessing this.
Furthermore, the majority of my annoyance comes from the idiot drivers that clearly need their ego inflating by posing for these young lads in the first place
They are the hub of the issue here not the teenagers with cameras pursuing their hobby. The photo oppers wouldn’t be here without the circus parade of cars, but the village is not the place for this pastime to be tolerated.

Fiona, dreadful footage of motor cycle and quad bike doing “wheelies” the full length of the village today on Facebook. Will it take a fatal accident before this is ended?
Perhaps the residents should reclaim the streets?

I was with my family trying to enjoy Sunday Lunch on London Road today when we witnessed the quad bike and 2 motorcycles doing wheelies the full length of the road. It was terrifying for our 9 year old. What on earth has happened to Alderley Edge!! We’ve just returned after 5 years away and we are appalled by the speed and noise of so many cars driving through the crowded high street every weekend. We are amazed that no one has been killed and assume that’s what it’s going to take before the council and police take urgent action. 20mph max speed limit through the village and speed cameras need to be installed ASAP as a start. Totally unbelievable. Honestly, this could and should be the most beautiful village in Cheshire and it’s being ruined. Sort it out before it gets worse and someone is killed.

If the Police removed all those people coming into the village standing and obstructing the pavements and car park entrance, jumping out taking photographs of the cars or gave them a Public order ticket for obstruction or not keeping a safe distance then people in these cars would stop coming as they would realise they are no longer being photographed and pictures of their cars would not be then uploaded on Instagram- it’s the people taking the photos to increase their number of followers on Instagram that are the route cause - the more watchers the more they get paid by companies to advertise on their Instagram accounts

Quite agree with you Stephen when people used to do the same thing on the cat and fiddle with the motor cycles they were moved on and that was not in a small village where the consequences could be far worse

Point of order, Sam. The motorcyclists have not been 'moved on' from the Cat & Fiddle road. It is still a popular biking road which I enjoy myself, but the hooligan element have been tamed by a 50mph speed limit enforced by average-speed cameras.

What drove the installation of these cameras was not noise, but the appalling accident rate, including many deaths, as that hooligan element competed for the fastest climb or descent of the 'Cat'.

As a motorcycle rider of forty years plus I’m fully aware of what happened on the cat it is the people that used to take pictures on the corners that were moved on which is what we were talking about in our village