A number of volunteer-led schemes to help reduce speeding on roads across Warrington have been given the green light thanks to funding from police and crime commissioner (PCC) David Keane.
A variety of road safety initiatives to tackle speeding will be established in the wards of Poulton North, Grappenhall and Thelwall, and Rixton and Woolston after the commissioner approved their funding requests from his Community Police Fund.
The grants will fund the purchase of speed guns and high-visibility vests for local residents who will give up their time to make the roads in their community safer.
The volunteer-led groups will be trained to use the devices for measuring vehicles’ speeds in speeding hotspot areas. This information will then be passed to Cheshire police who will issue a warning to those exceeding the speed limit.
The fund will also help purchase a Speed Indication Device (SID) to be used in Poulton North in partnership with Fearnhead Parish Council. SIDs encourage drivers to comply with the speed limit by measuring the speed of oncoming vehicles and displaying a ‘slow down’ message if drivers are exceeding the speed limit.
The device is moveable and used to target problem spots. It then connects to a computer to display the data of all the speeds collected and at which time of day vehicles passed the device. This data is then extremely helpful for documenting speeding concerns and working with the relevant agencies on more permanent solutions.
The Community Police Fund is a new fund that has been made available to all 122 policing communities in Cheshire. Community police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) have been working with local residents and organisations to develop bids of up-to £1,000 to fund projects which address local issues.
The fund has been developed using money seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act (PoCA) 2002. It also links directly to the recently launched initiative to increase police visibility in every community by providing a dedicated Police Constable and PCSO for all 122 areas.
PCC David Keane said: “I know that road safety issues, and in particular speeding, are a major concern for the majority of residents across Cheshire and road safety is a very emotive subject.
“That’s why I’ve made it my priority to make our roads safer. Although deaths and serious injuries on Cheshire’s roads have reduced by 38 percent over the last five years, there’s always more we can do to make things safer for all road users and pedestrians.
“Community speed watch is an incredibly important scheme which embraces the passion and dedication of volunteers and enables them to work with Cheshire Police to improve road safety in their local area.
“Speed indication devices help to improve road safety and inform future strategy. They provide a sustainable approach to monitoring speed and are able to collect valuable insight.
“I’m pleased that my Community Police Fund can help bring even more of these road safety schemes to Warrington and I thank the local community for working alongside their local police teams to improve community safety and confidence.”
