Bridgwater Town Council has reviewed the latest findings from its Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs), with monitoring carried out across the town between January and the end of April 2026.
The comprehensive dataset shows that the vast majority of motorists in Bridgwater are travelling at safe and appropriate speeds
Speed Indicator Devices play a vital role in capturing real-world traffic data, raising driver awareness, and supporting evidence-based decision making for traffic management and road safety. The continued rotation of SID units across Bridgwater provides a detailed, town-wide picture of driver behaviour across a range of environments, from busy arterial routes carrying high traffic volumes to quieter residential streets.
A key finding from the data is the sheer volume of traffic moving through Bridgwater on a daily basis. Across the four-month monitoring period, hundreds of thousands of vehicle movements were recorded at locations including Bristol Road, Taunton Road, Eastern Avenue, Parkway, Quantock Road, Bowering Road, High Street, and Kendale Road.
Major routes such as Bristol Road, Taunton Road and Eastern Avenue consistently carried particularly high traffic volumes, with some locations accommodating tens of thousands of vehicle movements over relatively short monitoring periods. These routes form critical transport corridors through the town, often experiencing peak-time congestion and playing an essential role in supporting local connectivity, commuting and economic activity.
Despite this high volume of traffic, the data shows consistently strong compliance with speed limits. More than 90% of vehicles on key routes such as Bristol Road and Taunton Road were travelling at or below 30 mph.
Importantly, this high level of compliance is not solely due to congestion slowing traffic. Measures such as the 85th percentile speed which reflects typical speeds under free-flowing conditions remain below 30 mph across all monitored locations. This indicates that many drivers are choosing to travel at appropriate speeds even when roads are less congested.
This pattern is reinforced by findings from quieter periods and lower-volume roads, where traffic flows are significantly reduced yet speeds remain consistently low.
In residential areas, average speeds were notably lower still. Across the monitoring period, the lowest speeds were consistently recorded in residential streets and the town centre. Mount Street saw an average speed of just 16 mph, with more than 99% of vehicles travelling at or below 30 mph.
The High Street, where traffic volumes are comparatively low, recorded typical speeds well below 20 mph, with an average of 17.6 mph and 85% of vehicles travelling at 19 mph or below.
Kendale Road achieved 100% compliance, with no vehicles exceeding 30 mph and a maximum recorded speed of just 28 mph. Other residential areas, including Queenswood Road, Holford Road, Chatham Avenue and Westonzoyland Road, also recorded modest traffic volumes alongside average speeds between 18 mph and 21 mph.
While overall compliance is strong, the data does highlight a very small number of vehicles travelling at significantly higher speeds. Peak speeds recorded during the monitoring period included over 90 mph on Bristol Road and 76 mph on Bowering Road.
These instances represent a tiny fraction of total traffic volumes and are considered isolated outliers rather than indicative of typical driving behaviour. Nevertheless, the Council recognises that even a small number of excessive speed incidents can present a risk and will continue to monitor these trends.
Councillor Tim Mander, speaking on behalf of Bridgwater Town Council’s Transport Forum said,
“These results are encouraging and show that the vast majority of drivers in Bridgwater are travelling at safe and appropriate speeds.
“What is particularly notable is that this is being achieved alongside very high traffic volumes across the town, especially on our key routes. While congestion can influence speeds at certain times, the data shows that drivers are making sensible choices even when traffic is flowing more freely. However, even a small number of vehicles travelling at excessive speeds can pose a risk, and we will continue to monitor trends and work with our partners to keep our roads as safe as possible.”
Overall, the findings present a clear and positive picture of driving behaviour in Bridgwater. Despite the significant volume of traffic using the town’s road network each day, most drivers are travelling within appropriate speed limits, with moderate average speeds and only isolated instances of excessive speeding.