Signage
Community Speedwatch - Signage
There is no legal requirement to place any signs at a monitoring site. Where permanent Community Speed Watch signs are in place temporary mobile signs will not be displayed. If you have any comments or complaints, please so not raise these with the volunteers who are simply following instructions. Contact Staffordshire Police by email CSW@staffordshire.pnn.police.uk.
Please note: we will not tolerate abusive, threatening or insulting behaviour towards our Police Volunteers and will take appropriate action if necessary.
Permanent Speed Watch Signs installed to deter unsafe driving
Permanent Community Speed Watch signs have been installed in a number of areas across Staffordshire where communities are affected by speeding traffic.
Community Speed Watch has teams of volunteers across the county giving up their own time to monitor speed levels in their local community and providing information to the police. Currently, when a team deploys, temporary signage is put out warning drivers that their speeds are being monitored. But now permanent signage with police branding is in place in 40 locations like Biddulph and Weston to warn drivers that their speed could be monitored at random. Further locations will be added in 2019.
Michelle Shaker, Community Speed Watch Co-ordinator for Staffordshire Police, said: "Feedback we have received suggested that drivers were only adhering to speed limits when they saw the signs. With permanent signs hopefully drivers will adhere at all times as their speeds could be monitored at any time without further notice.
In the last year we had 27 people die following a road traffic collision and a further 202 seriously injured. Speed is a contributory factor in a significant number of collisions including nearly a quarter of fatal collisions, so it is imperative people follow the speed limit to keep themselves and others safe on our roads."
When a vehicle is caught speeding, the details of that vehicle is recorded on a Log Sheet and submitted to the Police. A letter is then sent to the Registered Keeper warning them of the dangers of speeding. If a driver is identified as a repeat offender or recorded travelling at a dangerously high speed, they can expect a home visit by a police officer at the very least.
Community Speed Watch was set up to improve road safety in communities where there are concerns about the speed of traffic. The scheme is supported by Staffordshire Police and the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership. Residents who are trained by Staffordshire Police stand by the roadside and monitor speeds of vehicles passing using a hand held radar device.