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Community Speedwatch
2010 - Middleton has again been selected to take part in Community Speedwatch this year. We have been paired with Cottingham between the period of 7th August and 18th September (1st, 3rd and 5th weeks). Volunteers for manning the speedgun and support are needed. Please contact the coordinator Dryden Phillipson as son as possible on 770950.
2009 - The speed gun was again made available to the Middleton Speedwatch group in May and June. The new road surfaces however appeared to have a very calming influence on traffic! No excessive speeds were reported during this excercise, but the difficult road and weather conditions did limit the available observation times.
What is Community Speed Watch?
Research has shown that many locals speed in their area without realising they are doing so and, in many cases, an awareness of speed is needed to slow drivers down and make our roads safer. Community Speed Watch is a new partnership initiative operating in Northamptonshire using the combined efforts of the local Police, the County Council, Northants ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) and Parish Council/local residents. Community members are given training on the use of hand held speed guns which are used to monitor the speed of traffic through their village. The community cannot of course issue speeding tickets, but the information gathered is sent to the Police, who send letters to owners of speeding vehicles explaining the project and stating that repeat offenders could face prosecution.
The prime aim of the project is not to prosecute motorist, but to encourage communities to take action and to become involved in their village and issues important to them. The main purpose is to promote a culture change among drivers towards speeding and so improve the quality of life of all residents. If just a few drivers become aware of their speed, other motorists are forced to slow down when driving behind the 'speed aware' drivers.
Following a successful pilot scheme in 2003 & 2004, Community Speed Watch was launched in April 2005 as a one-year project. Due to this time constraint the project is limited to 36 Parishes (a number we could work with effectively). Six Parishes work in pairs, sharing the equipment on a one-week rota basis for a total of six weeks. The equipment is then moved on to the next group of Parishes. There are times of the year when the project cannot run, eg Christmas due to volunteers’ personal commitments, dark nights/mornings etc.
Aims of Community Speed Watch
- To reduce excessive speed in your village (within 30mph limits)
- To change people’s attitudes towards speeding
- To create a safer environment
- Empowering communities to work together
Which villages are eligible?
All Parishes can participate in the scheme through the support of the Parish Council, with the endorsement of the local Community Beat Police Officer. To qualify to undertake the project, the Parish Council needs to gather 20% of population or 500 signatures (whichever is the lesser) in support of the project, and recruit ten volunteers to be trained and use the cameras. The project will only be operated within speed limits of 30 mph.
* Note 20% of Middleton's population of voting age is about 68
What happens next?In order to be accepted into the Community Speed Watch scheme the community must support the initiative by:
- Committing to stick to the speed limit in the village and throughout Northamptonshire
- Signing the pledge in support of the initiative
- Encouraging others to do the same
What benefits will the village receive?
Depending upon the scale of the speeding problem, as identified by the Safety Camera Team, a number of measures can be implemented these include:
- A monthly visit from the Safety Camera mobile unit
- Use of portable Speed indicator devices
- High visibility Community Speed Watch Boards for erection on lamp posts/ telegraph poles
- Loan of a hand held speed gun for use by locally trained community members
- Raising the awareness and risk of speeding in villages
- A safer environment
Speeding is a serious problem but it is not an inevitable one. Community Speed Watch is a positive and proactive way in which local communities can act together to tackle this important issue. We have received a very positive response for those who have participated and those wishing to become involved. The prime aim of the project is not to prosecute motorist, but to encourage communities to take action and become involved in their village and issues important to them and so improve the quality of life of all residents. We hope you will feel able to support us.
For further information, please contact the Middleton Community Speed Watch coordinator Dryden Phillipson on 770950.
Historical:
Traffic Calming in Middleton
The feedback obtained from the Parish Plan questionnaire indicated a clear desire for something to be done about speeding traffic in our village, the three locations most affected are Main Street, Ashley Road and The Hill. Click here for page 18 of Parish Plan - 'Traffic and Transport'.
Approaches to Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) on this issue have been made, but it is clear that funds are extremely difficult to come by. Major budget allocations are based upon traffic accident casualty figures for a particular location. Not an ideal method, but that is what exists at present.
Two projects are already completed, these were funded be NCC.
- Improvement to the junction of The Hill and Ashley Road to create a more acute angle of access for traffic and also widening the footpath alongside Number one Main Street (The former Woolpack pub).
- Installation of the village boundary 'gate' on Ashley Road.
Sheila Cheney Assistant Community Engineer, of NCC was invited to inspect the 'trouble spots' with a view to advising on the feasibility of chicanes. This site visit took place on 17th November 2006; present were parish cllrs. Ray Ainge, David Curtis, Kay Dickens, Dryden Phillipson. Please click here for a copy of Sheila Cheney's report.
The Community Engineer made it clear that the layout of Main Street and the number of entrances to dwellings did create technical difficulties for building chicanes. It was thought that this particular form of traffic calming on Main Street was therefore not practicable, and was, regrettably, abandoned. It is intended to pursue the provision of road narrowing in Ashley Road and The Hill, where there are not such technical difficulties compared to Main Street.
It was arranged to have traffic speed and data equipment set up in the three affected locations, The Hill, Ashley Road and Main street. The Raw data has now been received and is being studied. Download the data here.