A group of local people including some Friends of the Loxley Valley members have helped to establish a community speedwatch group for our area.
They’ve named themselves the Hillsborough and Loxley Community Speedwatch (CSW) group – extending the reach and picking up on the work of the earlier Hillsborough Community Speedwatch Group.
CSW volunteers now go out regularly to monitor compliance with speed limits on some of the busiest roads in the Loxley area.
Why do this?
Loxley Road is notorious for speeding vehicles. This poses an accident threat to pedestrians crossing the road, other drivers, cyclists and horse riders – in short all other people using the road!
Speeding outside schools (e.g Loxley Primary and Malin Bridge Primary schools) is a concern for children’s parents.
Speeding also increases accident risks to local residents and visitors whilst parking and manoeuvring their vehicles.
Easy to remember statistics:
- In the UK, a pedestrian hit by a car travelling at
30mph has about a 90% chance of survival. - A pedestrian hit by a car at 40mph has
only about a 10% chance of survival.
Speed kills!
So, what do CSW volunteers do?
Volunteers undertake a short online training package and become approved police CSW operators.
Once approved, volunteers arrange Speedwatch sessions (usually an hour) at roadside locations risk assessed and approved by South Yorkshire Police traffic team.
The Hillsborough and Loxley CSW group has seven approved monitoring sites.
A minimum of three operators can run a Speedwatch session. Using a calibrated speed detection radar device, and road signage to alert drivers to Speedwatch activity, volunteers record details of vehicles travelling above speed limits.
In a 20mph zone, vehicles are recorded at 24mph and above. This margin above the speed limit is determined by the police using a formula: 10% of the speed limit + 2mph.
So, in 30mph zones speeds are recorded at 35mph and above, and in 40mph zones, speeds are recorded at 46mph and above.
Records of speeding vehicle are then submitted to the police who issue warning letters to vehicle owners.
Repeat offenders can expect a visit from South Yorkshire Police officers.
Importantly, the ethos of CSW is education, and behaviour change. It is NOT about catching out drivers, and ‘dobbing them in’.
As indicated above, CSW sessions are highly visible and most drivers slow down when approaching CSW monitoring sessions.
The volunteers’ experience
All the local CSW volunteers have found Speedwatch a positive experience. Very few drivers are abusive. Many are openly supportive.
And passing pedestrians often indicate their support or stop to suggest other locations that should be considered for monitoring.
Can you help?
New volunteer help is always welcome. With more CSW volunteers, the Hillsborough and Loxley group can run more speed monitoring sessions.
Once trained, a CSW operator can do as much or as little volunteering as they wish.
If you’d like to find out more then please see the ‘Hillsborough and Loxley Community Speedwatch’ Facebook group.
If you want to contact the group then please do so via : slowissmart@gmail.com
Alternatively, you can visit the communityspeedwatch.org website where you will find much more general information.
Using the ‘register’ button on the website home page, you can submit your contact details to South Yorkshire Police who will pass them to our CSW Group.