Community Speed Watch Schemes in North Warwickshire

Speeding drivers across North Warwickshire are set to have the brakes put on them thanks to road safety funding granted by Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe.  A bid to help extend Community Speed Watch schemes across the borough has been approved, meaning six new speed monitoring devices can be purchased for use by local community speed watch schemes.

Speeding remains a key community concern, particularly in rural villages across the borough, with Community Speed Watch schemes currently in place in Fillongley, Lea Marston, Nether Whitacre and Shuttington.

Community Speed Watch encourages motorists to drive at a safe and appropriate speed, reduce speed in areas of concern, helping to re-educate drivers about the dangers of speeding and address concerns from local residents about vehicles speeding through their neighbourhood.

At specified safe locations, volunteers monitor the speed of passing vehicles with a hand-held speed detection device. Offending vehicles’ details are recorded on a log sheet and warning letters are sent to the registered keepers with advice on safer driving.

Schemes are evaluated to ensure they are having a positive impact on vehicle speed, driver behaviour and community reassurance.

The new funding award of £20,872 will fund the speed detection equipment, enabling the establishment of further Community Speed Watch schemes across the borough. New schemes are being looked at to support the villages of Austrey, Ansley Common, Ansley Village, Arley, Baxterley, Birchley Heath, Hartshill, Kingsbury, Mancetter, Maxstoke, Ridge Lane, Shustoke and Water Orton.

There are a number of criteria which must be met before a scheme will be established:

• Speeding must have been identified as a community priority.
• Active speed enforcement operations must not already be underway in the area by Warwickshire Police
• There must be at least six volunteers in each CSW scheme.
• Speed checks must be conducted by at least three volunteers.
• The area must have a 30 or 40 mph speed restriction.

Councillor David Reilly, Chair of the North Warwickshire Community Safety Partnership and the Council’s Safer Communities Sub Committee, said: “Road safety is a priority for the Council and the Community Safety Partnership. We are very pleased to receive the Road Safety Fund grant from the Police and Crime Commissioner to help support local community speed watch schemes. The schemes are great examples of local communities working together with Warwickshire Police to help improve road safety across the borough. The schemes are a key part of a road safety action plan for North Warwickshire.

“We are also working with the police to ensure that the Street Cruising Injunction that is in place for North Warwickshire is appropriately enforced. Arrangements have been made to brief and prepare police teams to carry out enforcement operations at key roads in the borough. Warning signs and publicity has been put in place to promote wider awareness of the Injunction.

“Both schemes are examples of how measures can be taken at a local level to improve road safety across North Warwickshire.”

Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe added: “Speeding vehicles remain a key concern in many communities, particularly in our rural areas, while improving road safety overall is a shared priority for the police and all partner agencies.

“I launched my Road Safety Fund because I want to make a dramatic improvement in all parts of the county. It enables schemes which positively challenge the attitudes and behaviours of all road users to flourish, in order to reduce the numbers of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.

“Empowering communities to work with the police to respond to these concerns is really important, so I am pleased to be able to help the greater uptake of Community Speed Watch through this grant donation. These schemes can be very effective in educating drivers about their inappropriate use of speed, alongside enforcement action by the police for persistent offenders.”