What is Community Speed Watch?
Community Speed Watch initiative is an operation to target those motorists committing the four most common offences, which can contribute to serious injury or deaths on our roads: speeding, mobile phone usage, not wearing a seatbelt and drink driving. Community Speed Watch enables local people to become actively involved in helping to slow down traffic in 30mph zones within their community. Members of the community are trained in the use of hand-held speed monitoring devices to track the speed of motorists in their parish. Details of any speeding car is recorded on a data sheet. These sheets are processed by the Safer Roads Team and warning letters are sent to the drivers. Speeding drivers can receive up to two warning letters but if they are recorded as speeding for a third time, they will not receive a third one. The Police take further action.
Each community involved in Speed Watch will receive a full package of services, as shown below, as part of a rolling programme during the year, as well as regular support from their local Safer Community Team:
[Text Box:] Full training to carry out Speed Watch including how to use the calibrated device and recording the required information for the data sheets.
Use of Precision equipment (speed gun) - same equipment as used by the Police and is calibrated to the highest level. Used to identify vehicles exceeding the speed limit and can be used on a tripod or hand held. Villages receive the device for 3 weeks over a 6 week period. Those drivers identified as speeding have a Police warning letter(s) generated. Over 500 were sent out in 2 months as part of the 2012 CSW pilot.
S.I.D (Speed Indication Device) - operated by the County Council. An interactive radar device placed at the roadside, highlighting speeding/mobile phone use/seat belt offences. Available before or after the village has access to the speed device.
V.A.S. (Vehicle Activated Sign) – an interactive device placed out by the Police (owned by NCC) to identify excess speed offences. This is used for warning purposes only. As with the S.I.D, villages can have access to this several times during the year.
Parish Speed Boards x 10 – these are issued to each village co-ordinator, with suggested dates to place on display at the roadside by the Police.
Data Site monitoring – a grey box placed out for a week before and a week after each village has used the calibration device. Works 24 hours a day for the week, gives extremely accurate figures on volume of traffic/speeds/direction of travel/types of vehicle. It is not a camera and does not collect registration numbers.
Processing of data sheets from the communities and the issuing of warning letters to any driver identified as speeding as part of the Speed Watch programme, administration of all letters and follow up where necessary and regular updates to communities on the number of warning letters issued.
Ongoing support from local Safer Community Teams and additional support from ‘Safer Roads Team’ Speed Camera Vans, particularly working with information collated through Speed Watch from the calibration device
Pledge of Support for the project
Any village that wishes to take part in Community Speed Watch needs to show its support for the project. If you would like to show your support, please sign the pledge form below.
As part of Speed Watch, your Parish Council will be loaned a hand held speed camera to undertake its own traffic monitoring with the assistance of volunteers and the police. If you are willing to volunteer to undergo training and use the camera please indicate this and provide a telephone number. The police ask for a minimum of 10 volunteers (3 groups of 3 plus a co-ordinator/extra).
You can pledge by emailing the clerk at [email protected] or signing a form at the Post Office or Community Cafe (these will be there hopefully from 27th Jan)