Community Speed Watch seeing positive results in Pannal
Pannal is the first site in North Yorkshire to receive a fully operational Community Speed Watch group who are carrying out enforcement in two police approved sites in the village. Since starting their activity at the beginning of September, the group have seen the number of vehicles speeding through the village drop significantly and the numbers appear to be staying low.
On one of their first enforcement sessions the group clocked 18 instances of motorists speeding in the 30mph zones on the approach to the village. Following a number of sessions and an increase in awareness of the group’s enforcement activity – their last session registered just one speeding motorist.
Community Speed Watch Group Lead Mark Siddall said “We have seen some great results from our first two months of being operational and are very happy with the scheme and how it is benefiting the residents of Pannal. The village is on the commute from Leeds to Harrogate and as such can get used as a rat run at times, so we were becoming increasingly concerned with the level of road safety in the area.”
“This is why we approached North Yorkshire Police and submitted our application for a Community Speed Watch scheme through their Speed Management Protocol. We were very pleased to hear that following analysis of the data they collated, they agreed that Community Speed Watch would be an effective solution to our problem.”
“Following a full risk assessment of the proposed enforcement sites and all members of the group receiving comprehensive training – we have started our scheme and have already made a significant impact on the level of speeding through the village. We fully intend to continue our support of the scheme and look forward to more positive results.”
Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, Julia Mulligan said “From the regular feedback I receive from the public, speeding is a real concern and is one of the factors that most affects the quality of life in our local communities. It’s in direct response to this feedback that Community Speed Watch has been developed and forms one part of an overall package of measures that the Police have to deal with speeding and anti-social driver behaviour.”
“The results that Pannal have seen from just a couple of months of activity are really positive and they show how the scheme can have an impact on road users by educating them on the effects their driving has on a local community”
Tim Madgwick, Deputy Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police and chair of 95 Alive Road Safety Partnership said “We are very encouraged by the results the group in Pannal have already achieved and the positive effects the scheme is having for the local residents. It’s understandable that residents to want to protect their community from the anti-social effects of speeding. Community Speed Watch has been designed to sit alongside the other elements of North Yorkshire Police’s roads policing response and enable local communities to be proactive in making their roads safer.”
“It’s clear to see that presence of the group in Pannal is having an impact and drivers are starting to take more care in the area and be more considerate in their driving behaviour. We will continue to support the group and look forward to seeing more great results.”
If a community believes it has a problem with speeding, a site of concern can be reported via the Speed Concern Report form on the North Yorkshire Police website at www.northyorkshire.police.uk/communityspeedwatch
Submission of one single form is sufficient for a site to be assessed, multiple forms will not enhance or accelerate the process.
The speed concern will be acknowledged by North Yorkshire Police Traffic Bureau, who will then follow the process of the Speed Management Protocol.
If the site is assessed as suitable for Community Speed Watch, the informant will be contacted by North Yorkshire Police Traffic Bureau and further information will be provided on the scheme to determine if the community want to take the scheme forward.