Speedwatch in Somerset ...
Discussion
www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/local_action_teams/reduce_your_speed.asp
Community Speed Watch – a partnership approach to casualty reduction.
Nationally ten people a day die on Britain's roads and by far the biggest single cause is driving too fast.
The aim of Speed Watch is to address the problem of real or perceived speed-related offending in partnership with the community.
The objective is to achieve a five per cent reduction in the number of speed offenders within 12 months in each scheme.
It is proposed that the Local Action Teams (LATs) take control of the Speed Watch initiative in North Somerset and work alongside the police.
Training is given to the volunteers, prime sites are selected and risk assessment checks are made. All sites must be within 30 or 40 mph limits and strict rules must be adhered to.
The problem of excess speed is not just related to major towns and cities but our rural areas as well and speeding is a quality of life issue and this particular project will have a positive outcome for the residents of our district.
Two teams have to date been funded, equipped, appropriately trained and out there doing the work – with good results.
Winscombe and Sandford came on line first, closely followed by Backwell and it is anticipated that a team will be set up in Weston super Mare and Portishead in the near future. The equipment will be transferable from LAT to LAT, so that any identified problem can be tackled throughout the district.
The volunteers prime aim is to raise the awareness of speed, deter this from happening and gain information to assist the police in locating potential repeat offenders and do not get directly involved in prosecution of drivers
REMEMBER:
If you keep to the speed limits this will not affect you at all!
The Winscombe and Sandford Speedwatch scheme was initiated in mid October 2002 by Police Beat Manager, PC Carolyne Edwards, who had been receiving considerable complaints about the speed of traffic in the community, especially in Sandford.
After an initial presentation to the Parish Council, it was agreed that the Local Action Team would take it on as a project.
To purchase the necessary equipment, (Speed Gun, High Visibility clothing, Road Tri-Signs and Mobile Phone) it was necessary to raise £1300. This was achieved within two days and orders placed for the equipment. It was essential to recruit a Speedwatch Co-ordinator and willing volunteers, a minimum of six, to operate the equipment.
After only a few days, in excess of 30 volunteers came forward and a co-ordinator identified. The sites were risk-assessed by the traffic police and the training completed - all within a few weeks and the first live session took place on 1 December 2002. So from initiation to first action took only six weeks!
That is a Local Action Team in Action.
www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/newsroom2/news_display.asp?NewsStoryID=2441
Residents in West Somerset are working with police in a bid to cut the number of speeding motorists in the county.
Four new Community Speedwatch schemes are being set up across West Somerset to give drivers the slow down message.
The schemes in Kilve, West Quantoxhead, Carhampton and Watchet will see residents using a hand-held speed camera to monitor motorists and note down the vehicle registration of those breaking speed limits.
These numbers are then passed to local police officers who then write to the registered keepers of the vehicle.
The letter gives them advice and a future warning to cut their speed and keep to limits.
If cars are continually spotted offending the driver can expect a visit from a police officer.
Data collected from Speedwatch is also handed to the Avon and Somerset Safety Camera Partnership, the agency which deals with all of the speed cameras in the force area.
PC Keith Wigglesworth, who has helped set up the new Speedwatch schemes, said: “This is a way the community can get involved if they want to try and stop people speeding in their villages and towns.
“Those taking part are given training so the place in which they stand with the cameras is safe and in an area where the equipment can be properly used.
“Once numbers are noted down, the data is passed back to me and a letter sent out to the registered keeper.
“This initiative is not meant to see people fined. It is aimed at making people aware of the speed they are travelling and the danger they are creating.
“Slowing down could save themselves and other road users from death or serious injury.”
Community Speed Watch – a partnership approach to casualty reduction.
Nationally ten people a day die on Britain's roads and by far the biggest single cause is driving too fast.
The aim of Speed Watch is to address the problem of real or perceived speed-related offending in partnership with the community.
The objective is to achieve a five per cent reduction in the number of speed offenders within 12 months in each scheme.
It is proposed that the Local Action Teams (LATs) take control of the Speed Watch initiative in North Somerset and work alongside the police.
Training is given to the volunteers, prime sites are selected and risk assessment checks are made. All sites must be within 30 or 40 mph limits and strict rules must be adhered to.
The problem of excess speed is not just related to major towns and cities but our rural areas as well and speeding is a quality of life issue and this particular project will have a positive outcome for the residents of our district.
Two teams have to date been funded, equipped, appropriately trained and out there doing the work – with good results.
Winscombe and Sandford came on line first, closely followed by Backwell and it is anticipated that a team will be set up in Weston super Mare and Portishead in the near future. The equipment will be transferable from LAT to LAT, so that any identified problem can be tackled throughout the district.
The volunteers prime aim is to raise the awareness of speed, deter this from happening and gain information to assist the police in locating potential repeat offenders and do not get directly involved in prosecution of drivers
REMEMBER:
If you keep to the speed limits this will not affect you at all!
The Winscombe and Sandford Speedwatch scheme was initiated in mid October 2002 by Police Beat Manager, PC Carolyne Edwards, who had been receiving considerable complaints about the speed of traffic in the community, especially in Sandford.
After an initial presentation to the Parish Council, it was agreed that the Local Action Team would take it on as a project.
To purchase the necessary equipment, (Speed Gun, High Visibility clothing, Road Tri-Signs and Mobile Phone) it was necessary to raise £1300. This was achieved within two days and orders placed for the equipment. It was essential to recruit a Speedwatch Co-ordinator and willing volunteers, a minimum of six, to operate the equipment.
After only a few days, in excess of 30 volunteers came forward and a co-ordinator identified. The sites were risk-assessed by the traffic police and the training completed - all within a few weeks and the first live session took place on 1 December 2002. So from initiation to first action took only six weeks!
That is a Local Action Team in Action.
www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/newsroom2/news_display.asp?NewsStoryID=2441
Residents in West Somerset are working with police in a bid to cut the number of speeding motorists in the county.
Four new Community Speedwatch schemes are being set up across West Somerset to give drivers the slow down message.
The schemes in Kilve, West Quantoxhead, Carhampton and Watchet will see residents using a hand-held speed camera to monitor motorists and note down the vehicle registration of those breaking speed limits.
These numbers are then passed to local police officers who then write to the registered keepers of the vehicle.
The letter gives them advice and a future warning to cut their speed and keep to limits.
If cars are continually spotted offending the driver can expect a visit from a police officer.
Data collected from Speedwatch is also handed to the Avon and Somerset Safety Camera Partnership, the agency which deals with all of the speed cameras in the force area.
PC Keith Wigglesworth, who has helped set up the new Speedwatch schemes, said: “This is a way the community can get involved if they want to try and stop people speeding in their villages and towns.
“Those taking part are given training so the place in which they stand with the cameras is safe and in an area where the equipment can be properly used.
“Once numbers are noted down, the data is passed back to me and a letter sent out to the registered keeper.
“This initiative is not meant to see people fined. It is aimed at making people aware of the speed they are travelling and the danger they are creating.
“Slowing down could save themselves and other road users from death or serious injury.”
So it's come to this, members of the public spying on each other? Does anyone find this far more sinister than the regular scamera partnerships? Not content with illegally parked scamera vans we've now got to contend with fluro jacketed curtain twitchers too.
How long before someone gets attacked?
How long before someone gets attacked?
Ive just sent them this:
In regards to the community speedwatch part of the site.
I think youre deliberately misleading people with this statement:
"Nationally ten people a day die on Britain's roads and by far the biggest single cause is driving too fast."
Is that a fact then? I have a little challenge for you, if youre up to it.
Driving too fast can equally mean UNDER the speed limit, cant it? Yes. However, you dont SAY that, you infer that its OVER the speed limit.
By far, the vast majority of speed related accidents are occuring WITHIN the speed limit! How about putting that little fact on your webpage huh?
Or would it detract from the need for profit too much?
So my challenge: Show independent proof(not comissioned by the dft) that PROVES that one third of accidents are caused by speed!
You will fail miserably.
I also challenge you to make it clear that the accidents youre referring to occur UNDER or WITHIN the speed limits, and PUT it ON THE SITE, but ill bet you dont have the bottle to do it.
Kindest regards....
In regards to the community speedwatch part of the site.
I think youre deliberately misleading people with this statement:
"Nationally ten people a day die on Britain's roads and by far the biggest single cause is driving too fast."
Is that a fact then? I have a little challenge for you, if youre up to it.
Driving too fast can equally mean UNDER the speed limit, cant it? Yes. However, you dont SAY that, you infer that its OVER the speed limit.
By far, the vast majority of speed related accidents are occuring WITHIN the speed limit! How about putting that little fact on your webpage huh?
Or would it detract from the need for profit too much?
So my challenge: Show independent proof(not comissioned by the dft) that PROVES that one third of accidents are caused by speed!
You will fail miserably.
I also challenge you to make it clear that the accidents youre referring to occur UNDER or WITHIN the speed limits, and PUT it ON THE SITE, but ill bet you dont have the bottle to do it.
Kindest regards....
ingbollical move closer and closer to 1984. 
timf said:
didn't they say they couldn't do brunth's daugther as a bib wasn't operating the equipment ?
same thing here
Looks like it. So you may get sent a letter - but it doesn't mean anything. Until the day that these community snoopers are replaced by BiBs/offical SCP operators for an afternoon - and then watch the NIPs come pouring out.
These community teams will just create an atmosphere in which local drivers will feel they can safely ignore a camera team - after all they cannot be nicked. This can't be good for road safety.
And the possibility of irate drivers giving the operators a sound kicking seems very real too - I recall one force disallowing this sort of thing as they felt they could not react in time to protect such a "community-camera-operator" in the event of things turning nasty.
Personally I think it will be very amusing indeed when a group of four balaclava-wearing chaps leap out of a saloon car, take the camera of 'em, and drive off into the distance...
This is a very sinister developement, locals taking down numbers and passing it on to the police etc. This country is turning into the old East Germany, what can we do to stop these f**kers subverting freedom amd democracy? What the f**k does 'caused by driving too fast' mean? compared to what? Very soon we will only be allowed to use two sheets of toilet paper so as not 'to waste trees'!!!! All this under a Labour government as well what a joke !!!
It is a simple scheme for Tony and Gordon. The public will see they have recruited more officers because they have been trained, they will be able to spin the number of offences which have been dealt with to reflect a real reduction/detection in crime. Some of the old Bastards will catch a cold which will kill them so no need to keep paying pensions (huge potential saving here)The residents are buying their own equipment so it saves the cost of installing a proper camera. It give OAPs who are waiting to die something vindictive to do that if it all goes wrong they can say is nothing to do with the goverment.
It is open to so much abuse by the operators, annoy one and everytime your car goes past regardless of speed they report you the police will then victimise you on no evidence other than their say so. It makes you want to cut their pensions so theydie earlier.
It is open to so much abuse by the operators, annoy one and everytime your car goes past regardless of speed they report you the police will then victimise you on no evidence other than their say so. It makes you want to cut their pensions so theydie earlier.
and dont forget of course this "Comrade Shopping" scheme will also prevent jumping red lights, failing to indicate, following too closely to the vehicle in front...........etc, etc, the REAL cause of most accidents!, these Speed Cameras must be really good then if they are able to spot all these dangerous practises.
My Oh My, isn't modern Technology brilliant? NOT!
My Oh My, isn't modern Technology brilliant? NOT!
spaximus said:Ah, the saving will only be that of the pension that would no longer be payable. The 'huge saving' would only be made if the countless, faceless, so-called 'Civil Servants' who adminster pensions, etc. (with their pensions being index-linked at our expense) were among them! The actual pension paid is less than half of the cost of paying it ... at least it was some 10 years ago, and I guess the adminstrative costs have grown faster than the pension has in the meantime!
It is a simple scheme for Tony and Gordon. ... Some of the old Bastards will catch a cold which will kill them so no need to keep paying pensions (huge potential saving here)...
- StreakyGassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff