Community Speed Watch
Speeding in Oxshott is of concern to all of us. FEDORA – the Voice for Oxshott CIC is keen to support a Community Speed watch (CSW).
How it works:-
A CSW scheme is run by a local community group with support from Surrey Police as a supplement to their own speed control enforcement activities. These groups are becoming increasingly popular.
In simple terms it requires a group of local residents to periodically use speed detection equipment to identify speeding vehicles and make a manual note of the vehicle details which are passed to an Administrator in the Police. The Police will then send a maximum of three letters to the registered keeper of the vehicle, after which there may be a personal visit.
This does not involve the issue of penalties or prosecution. However, if there is a persistent problem with a particular motorist the Police will target the driver of that vehicle and, if appropriate, take further action. In addition, reports may result in a site being targeted by Police for intervention with a view to prosecution.
Volunteers
Simon Harker acts as the co-ordinator and liaises with Surrey Police. They say that to operate the scheme successfully there should be a minimum of six volunteers, ten would be better. It should not take up more than an hour of your time a week and could be less, particularly if we have a lot of volunteers.
All volunteers are trained by the Police in the use of speed monitoring equipment, health and safety, and how to manage enquiries from motorists and/or other members of the public. The Police will provide equipment including high-viz jackets at no cost. Volunteers will also be covered by Police public liability and personal accident insurance and their employers’ liability insurance will extend to volunteers operating a CSW scheme.
We need your support. If you are willing to give up a small amount of your time to be involved, please contact OCSW@fedora.org.uk
Where would speeds be checked?
It is up to volunteers to suggest sites, but these have to be inspected and approved by the Police. There are a number of criteria to be met but most are common sense such as ensuring visibility for safety reasons. In addition, there should not be a conflict with other speed restriction measures and generally the site cannot be within 200 metres of a change in speed limit.
When would sites be checked?
It will be up to our CSW group to decide, subject to pre-agreement with the Police. Volunteers arrange the times they want to target anti-social driving, which normally means monitoring vehicles for up to an hour during peak periods for speeding. One reason CSWs have support from the Police is that speed can be checked when the problem is likely to be greatest as opposed to when Police resources are available.
Residents of Stoke Road in Cobham successfully operate a scheme at two sites once a month, but we may wish to do more frequent checks, at least initially.
What are the benefits of CSW?
- Direct local community involvement shows the relevant authorities that local residents are concerned about speeding which supports other initiatives.
- Over time experience shows it does influence behaviour and helps to reduce speeding and improve safety. This can play a part in making communities feel safer.
- Evidence collected can be useful. We hope to make progress on key improvements in Oxshott based on what we know now but additional data can only be helpful.