Community speed watch

[Craig W]

We have a zone in the next village over which is a 20 which really doesn’t need to be, I’d say 90% of the drivers who go through this area do at least 30. Community speed watch types love to stand there with their devices.

We had a letter a while ago saying we’d been caught speeding there, and this evening a community support officer knocked on our door to tell my wife that we’d been caught speeding 3 times there and gave us a verbal warning. I came to the door towards the end of the conversation, and as much as I wanted to query what he was actually telling us I just acknowledged it as he seemed to not want to be at my door as much as I didn’t want to listen to him.

My wife also said that if we were caught again they may take further action. I asked her exactly what he said but she can’t tell me his exact words.

Presuming that it was just an empty threat? Nothing they can do with only evidence gathered by busy body community volunteers?

[vonhosen]

Following information from them though they may put someone who can do something about it amongst them on a future date.

[BertBert]

Er, could just slow down? As VH says there will be a real plod with them at some point. So it's like super advanced notice of a speed trap. Id be very grateful

[Silverage]

I noticed a trio of these out and about on the main drag through a village three or four over from me yesterday. They had helpfully put out a “community speed watch” sign at either end of the zone they were patrolling.

The road is nominally a 30 limit but it’s impossible to get anything like that speed up as it is always festooned with parked cars and it’s like a slalom going along it. I’m not sure what’s been going on that makes them think it is worth their time clocking cars like mine pottering past at 20 mph but they seemed happy enough.

[martinbiz]

Craig W said:

We have a zone in the next village over which is a 20 which really doesn’t need to be, I’d say 90% of the drivers who go through this area do at least 30. Community speed watch types love to stand there with their devices.

We had a letter a while ago saying we’d been caught speeding there, and this evening a community support officer knocked on our door to tell my wife that we’d been caught speeding 3 times there and gave us a verbal warning. I came to the door towards the end of the conversation, and as much as I wanted to query what he was actually telling us I just acknowledged it as he seemed to not want to be at my door as much as I didn’t want to listen to him.

My wife also said that if we were caught again they may take further action. I asked her exactly what he said but she can’t tell me his exact words.

Presuming that it was just an empty threat? Nothing they can do with only evidence gathered by busy body community volunteers?

As they would not have a clue who was driving, it would be interesting to know who the PCSO was directing his lecture at. The same applies to the threat of further action if caught again, against who? All they can do is make a note of your car for when they may put a proper speed trap or camera van there and then follow the normal process

[V8 Stang]

I came across the old biddies with their hairdryer on my way home from work 2 days in a row last week, i wasn't speeding when approaching them as its not a location where you naturally speed - as there is always a car on one side of the road.

However when passing, i dropped it to 2nd and gave the Mustang throttle a quick tap up to 40ish (in a 30) for sts and giggles both days.

Disappointingly i have not received a letter

[martinbiz]

V8 Stang said:

I came across the old biddies with their hairdryer on my way home from work 2 days in a row last week, i wasn't speeding when approaching them as its not a location where you naturally speed - as there is always a car on one side of the road.

However when passing, i dropped it to 2nd and gave the Mustang throttle a quick tap up to 40ish (in a 30) for sts and giggles both days.

Disappointingly i have not received a letter

You sound like part of the reason they are there in the first place

[Johnnytheboy]

How did the 'community support officer' know who was driving on these three occasions?

[mybrainhurts]

Johnnytheboy said:

How did the 'community support officer' know who was driving on these three occasions?

Sorcery....

[mybrainhurts]

BertBert said:

Er, could just slow down?

Nah, if everybody did that, 20 limits would gain credibility. Given that at least two local authorities have determined that introducing 20 limits increased injury accidents, this would not be A Good Idea.

[martinbiz]

mybrainhurts said:

Given that at least two local authorities have determined that introducing 20 limits increased injury accidents, this would not be A Good Idea.

Do you have a source link for that you can post?

[poo at Paul's]

V8 Stang said:

I came across the old biddies with their hairdryer on my way home from work 2 days in a row last week, i wasn't speeding when approaching them as its not a location where you naturally speed - as there is always a car on one side of the road.

However when passing, i dropped it to 2nd and gave the Mustang throttle a quick tap up to 40ish (in a 30) for sts and giggles both days.

Disappointingly i have not received a letter

"Dab of oppo" Spanglechump

[Foss62]

Craig W said:

We have a zone in the next village over which is a 20 which really doesn’t need to be, I’d say 90% of the drivers who go through this area do at least 30. Community speed watch types love to stand there with their devices.

We had a letter a while ago saying we’d been caught speeding there, and this evening a community support officer knocked on our door to tell my wife that we’d been caught speeding 3 times there and gave us a verbal warning. I came to the door towards the end of the conversation, and as much as I wanted to query what he was actually telling us I just acknowledged it as he seemed to not want to be at my door as much as I didn’t want to listen to him.

My wife also said that if we were caught again they may take further action. I asked her exactly what he said but she can’t tell me his exact words.

Presuming that it was just an empty threat? Nothing they can do with only evidence gathered by busy body community volunteers?

Doesn’t ‘need’ to be (a 20) in what sense? The locals might actually quite like their speed limit. Our village one keeps the majority of through traffic on the by-pass, makes it easy to cross the high street, reduces noise levels, makes it easier to turn into and out of some very narrow streets with restricted vision etc. etc.
I can get much more animated about the pointless 40s and 50s in open countryside than being required to drive at 20 instead of 30, adding a couple of minutes at the very most to the journey through the village.

[V8 Stang]

martinbiz said:

You sound like part of the reason they are there in the first place

Yep because if they were not there i would have driven through normally at below the speed limit.

They being there essentially caused me to speed


Just like the smile/sad face solar signs, i feel the need to speed up to make the sign have a sad face

[Piginapoke]

V8 Stang said:

martinbiz said:

You sound like part of the reason they are there in the first place

Yep because if they were not there i would have driven through normally at below the speed limit.

They being there essentially caused me to speed


Just like the smile/sad face solar signs, i feel the need to speed up to make the sign have a sad face

School out early?

[Smurfsarepeopletoo]

I dont see a massive issue with them TBH, they live there permanently, and want their area to be safe, and obviously get fed up with idiots using it as a race track.

TBH, I am getting to the point where I am thinking of contacting the local authority to see if they can put some speed calming measures in place where I live, My road is a 30mph road, there is a school nearby, lots of residential properties, along with side roads, and yet people regularly hit 60/70 along the road outside of rush hour, and there has been a few incidents recently of people being hit by cars.

This is my road.
https://www.google.com/maps/@53.0375573,-2.1435887...

[Hackney]

Smurfsarepeopletoo said:

I dont see a massive issue with them TBH, they live there permanently, and want their area to be safe, and obviously get fed up with idiots using it as a race track.

TBH, I am getting to the point where I am thinking of contacting the local authority to see if they can put some speed calming measures in place where I live, My road is a 30mph road, there is a school nearby, lots of residential properties, along with side roads, and yet people regularly hit 60/70 along the road outside of rush hour, and there has been a few incidents recently of people being hit by cars.

This is my road.
https://www.google.com/maps/@53.0375573,-2.1435887...

What are the odds that most of the bad driving / excessive speed is by people on the school run.
It's insane the amount of people who tear ass through the streets near our kids' school having just dropped their own kids.

[Smurfsarepeopletoo]

Hackney said:

What are the odds that most of the bad driving / excessive speed is by people on the school run.
It's insane the amount of people who tear ass through the streets near our kids' school having just dropped their own kids.

TBH, during school run time, the traffic can rarely get above 10mph due to the traffic lights, and then traffic turning in and out of side roads, and then during rush hour, there is a set of traffic lights on the crossroads about a mile up the road, that causes traffic to tail back past my house lol

[Zetec-S]

The problem is this sort of thing is very much NIMBYism... everyone complains about people speeding on their road or in their village, etc, but I'm sure most of them have no problem speeding elsewhere. I used to work with someone who'd complain constantly about people speeding on her road, yet would happily boast about how fast they would drive elsewhere. And I would regularly follow her for part of my journey and she'd speed through other residential areas.

A lot of people seem to think their town/village/road is "special", but anywhere else is fair game. Or maybe they don't even realise they're speeding in other neighbourhoods, and are just more conscious of their own area.

Back to community speed watch groups, I don't have a big problem with them. As other's have said, it's maybe good advance warning for a proper speed check so no harm in reining the speed in a little. Although I do think anyone who campaigns for a community speed watch or who volunteers should put their money where their mouth is and be made to have a black box fitted to their own vehicle(s)... after all, I'm sure they don't speed, surely...

[Johnnytheboy]

Zetec-S said:

A lot of people seem to think their town/village/road is "special", but anywhere else is fair game.

I've seen this loads, usually the preserve of the 'angry dad' kind of driver. Goes like the clappers then slams the brakes on at a certain 30 sign. You can guarantee they are about to turn off the main road in to a side street in that 30 limit.