Nine year old Brownie 'Speaking out' on speeding

A 9-year-old Brownie living on Sheffield Road in Glossop, has launched a heartfelt petition calling on Derbyshire County Council to urgently introduce traffic calming measures to protect her community. 

Indie Plant is working towards achieving her ‘Speaking Out’ badge with 2nd Glossop Brownies. She was inspired to choose the issue of speeding onto Sheffield Road from the A57 Snake Pass as her topic, after experiencing first-hand the dangers posed by some motorists and bikers in the 30-mph zone. 

Living at the foot of the Snake Pass, Indie regularly witnesses vehicles zooming past her house. She has seen ambulances rushing past attending collisions on many occasions, and has offered refreshments to police officers stationed nearby during road closures due to accidents. 

She’s also seen the impact of careless driving with neighbour’s cars suffering damaged wing mirrors. As a result, and determined to make a change, she has spoken to local residents gathering support for her petition. 

In an open letter to Derbyshire County Council, Indie wrote: 

“I believe that you should install speed cameras on Sheffield Road and Snake Pass, because every day I wake up and hear the sounds of cars and motorbikes and no one wants that do they?  

There are lots of accidents because of speeding and lots of ambulances and police cars go past my house and mainly at night and Sunday afternoons. 

I want to be able to walk home from school but my mum won’t let me because of speeding near my house. 

Can you do something about this to keep us safe? 

I’ve made a petition and on the 14th of May I have 143 signs. 

So please can you make a difference."

The 26-mile Snake Pass has sadly become notorious for its high number of accidents and fatalities. Glossop Police’s Safer Neighbourhood Team have carried out several speed awareness events at the Sheffield Road entrance. The last one in March especially poignant as a serious road traffic collision led to the road being closed. 

In 2024, fifteen motorcyclists lost their lives in crashes across Derbyshire, with five deaths occurring in two separate incidents on the same day in August. This spurred Derbyshire Constabulary to launch a dedicated road safety operation targeting bikers, urging them via a social media appeal to respect speed limits and road conditions. Additional patrols are deployed on the popular route during biker season. 

Indie’s mum, Clare Plant, fully supports her daughter’s campaign, saying, “I can’t imagine ever letting Indie walk the short distance home from school. The peril posed by speeding vehicles makes such freedom seem like an unattainable luxury. Even walking on the pavements we don’t feel safe.”  

Having lived on Sheffield Road for six years, Clare believes that speed cameras could make a real difference: “If speed cameras were installed along the entrance to Glossop and throughout the Snake Pass, we could significantly deter speeding drivers, as they have proven effective in improving road safety and can play a crucial role in safeguarding our community.” 

Councillor for Old Glossop, Conservative Adie Hopkinson, whole-heartedly agrees, as this is an issue that he has extensively campaigned about over many years. A former Derbyshire Police officer who spent 17 years in the Roads Unit, including as a Family Liaison Officer, he is no stranger to the devastating effects of traffic collisions, including on the Snake Pass. 

Social media comments indicate that the Snake Pass is a preferred route for thrill-seekers wanting to reach higher speeds and race each other along the challenging curved route. Photographers position themselves on the dangerous corners to get the perfect shot of riders, which could encourage dangerous behaviour. 

Many of Cllr Hopkinson’s constituents in the Shirebrook area have also reported repeated disturbance from the deafening roar of bike engines and exhausts, particularly in the summer months when bikers arrange meet-ups to ride the Snake Pass together.  

He explained that that under the 1986 Road Vehicles Regulations the sound levels of bikes must not exceed set limits and that exhaust systems must be fitted in accordance with British Standards, but believes that many bikers carry out illegal performance modifications to their bikes which increase the noise they make, saying: “It’s highly likely that the riders will not have declared they done this, as insurance companies either won't insure them or will charge an excess. This makes them illegal and a matter for the police, which I have contacted them about.” 

He referenced a previous meeting with the then-Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, at which he learnt about research carried out to perfect noise level cameras: “I was told that the Snake Pass would be one of the first roads to implement them. Obviously, the Government has now changed, however I hope this remains a priority.” 

This sentiment is echoed by fellow Conservative and Derbyshire County Councillor, Jean Wharmby, who has also been putting pressure on decision makers to make the road safer. She explained “Residents have contacted me on many occasions regarding the noise and speed of motorbikes. I totally agree with their comments as having lived on the A57 I am aware of how disturbing this is. 

“I have contacted both the Police and Derbyshire County Council Officers asking for speed and noise indicators to be put in place to record the scale of this disturbance. 

“I have also contacted the cabinet member for Highways asking for a pedestrian refuge island to be installed on the A57 adjacent to Hurst Lane. She agreed this was needed and would be put in place, so hopefully this will still be a priority and go ahead under the new administration at Derbyshire County Council.” 

Both councillors acknowledge that with new Reform leadership in place at the Council, some delays on decisions will be likely. However, they vow to continue putting pressure on decision-makers until the issue is addressed. 

In the meantime, Indie will continue to speak out in her mission to keep her community safe. One signature at a time. 

You can add your support to Indie’s petition here: https://chng.it/5rnhghRkWF