Community Speed Watch - Thousands speed - not one is fined - Submitted 03 Apr 2009 - Source Leicester Mercury

More than 30,000 drivers have been caught speeding through villages in two years – but not one has been fined.

Village volunteers armed with speed guns recorded drivers breaking speed limits, but as the motorists were caught by civilians, they cannot be fined or given penalty points on their licence.

Instead, up to 400 warning letters a week are being sent out by police.

Villagers said, while the scheme, called community speedwatch, was a deterrent, the only real way to make a difference was speed cameras.

Peter Goodwin has been running a scheme in Burton Lazars, near Melton, for the past four weeks, which has so far found 350 speeding motorists. He said: "These are only temporary deterrents. In my view, the only real way to stop people is to have a speed camera, so people who are caught pay £60 and have three points on their licence.

"I hear what people say – that they are only money-raising devices – but I think, in some places, they are needed. Villages are the right place to have them. "Here, it's a 40mph limit, but we've had cars going though at 81mph, 73mph and 72mph."

John Bairstow, of Old Dalby, near Melton, said: "People will slow down if they see villagers with speed guns. "That will have an effect and it is a good warning system, but speed cameras in villages would be a very good thing."

In three weeks, villager Chris Redding helped catch 200 speeding drivers in Castle Donington. He believes the amateur speed traps are not enough to stop speeding drivers.

He said: "In the short term, it was great, but as soon as we packed up the camera and the fluorescent jackets, the speeds started to creep up again."
Leicestershire County Council's community speedwatch scheme has been run in 90 villages over the past two years.

Villagers concerned about the speed of traffic are given a hand-held radar gun and high-visibility jackets to monitor traffic for a set period, usually a few weeks.

Speedwatch co-ordinator Mike Wilson said: "30,000 in the time we have been going is a lot, and that is a worry. It shows speeding is still a very serious problem.

"We recognise there needs to be some teeth to the system. Where volunteers identify a genuine problem, the police will go out with their cameras for enforcement. They have been to more or less all the sites we have."
The results of the volunteer speed checks are also used to determine where traffic-calming measures are installed.

Lesley Panton, of the police traffic unit, said she believed speedwatch was getting its message across.
She said: "People get a warning letter if they are caught and another if they do it again. A third offence means a police officer knocking on your door if you live in Leicestershire, but that happens very rarely."

In Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves, more than 2,000 drivers have been caught breaking the speed limit. Peter Crankshaw, of Woodhouse Traffic Action Group, said: "By and large, I think drivers are slowing as a result of what we have done, but there will always be a minority who couldn't care less."

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LFE had their own Community Speed Watch Event (No really we did) Were you caught, did you receive a letter ?

Have you noticed a reduction in the speed of traffic where you live? Why not login and leave a comment or start a debate on our FORUM

According to the text in the Leicester Forest East Autumn/Winter 2008 Neighbourhood Beat Newsletter Opens a PDF file in a new window

The Neighbourhood priorities
These are the priorities we will continue to focus on over the next six months:

1. To reduce anti-social behaviour issues around
Forest Park and Kings Walk area.

2. To target speeding vehicles within the leicester Forest East Parish.

3. To reduce vehicle crime within Leicester Forest East Parish.

You told us... To reduce the incidents of speeding traffic at identified locations in Leicester Forest East. This was raised through a 200 signature petition. We responded... By holding a community speed watch day which was very successful. Also the community speedwatch group completed numerous surveys in the area.

PC Ahmed reported at the November 2008 LFE Parish Meeting "that speed checks had been carried out earlier in the month between 7.30am and 9.30am on Forest House Lane and that 62 motorists had failed the speed check driving in excess of 35mph, one vehicle travelling at 53mph. I suggest that most of which are residents or friends or relatives of residents". (admin: NONE OF WHICH RECEIVED A TICKET)

Visit the Leicester Forest East parish website

Visit the Community Speed Watch Website

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