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Gloucestershire roads safer thanks to Community Speedwatch

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Gloucestershire’s Community Speedwatch (CSW) is beginning to positively influence people’s behaviour with promising data and examples showcasing early successes of making roads safer.

The fund of £600k was established in 2022 by Gloucestershire County Council in partnership with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) to respond to road safety concerns, particularly those raised by town and parish councils.

The fund is delivering around 70 cameras that provide information to the police who can then take appropriate action based on the data gathered.  

Gloucestershire Constabulary has already been able to act as a result of the cameras. Examples have seen a persistent offender who was regularly driving at double the speed limit stopped through enforcement action and fined. Another driver was identified as having false plates and upon follow up it was found to been involved in a theft, another was linked to other crimes regionally with follow up action taken.   

More broadly, evidence has also found that upwards of 90% of those issued with letters for speeding need no further intervention as they subsequently observe speed limits.

The fund is also in the process of delivering almost 60 Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS) which tell a driver if they’re exceeding or are sticking to the speed limit. Evidence shows that these signs have a notable impact on reducing speeds.

In addition, over 6,000 wheelie bin stickers have been issued with the slogan ‘20 is plenty’, particularly useful in built up areas. The county council is also working with over 190 towns and parishes supporting road safety initiatives which help to reduce incidents in the county – all very positive news for the county.

Cllr Dave Norman, Chair of the Road Safety Partnership, said: “This feedback is really promising and shows how the partnership is working for better outcomes in road safety across Gloucestershire. While there is more work to do, we are not only seeing better compliance with speed limit but also action on unsafe or uninsured vehicles which is great news for the overall safety of our roads. Our continued proactive and joint working is really going to help us improve countywide.” 

Nick Evans, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Fear of anti-social speeding is one of the issues that is regularly raised with the Commissioner and I by our county’s residents. That’s why we launched the Community Speedwatch Fund with the county council, to empower communities to support the Constabulary and make our roads safer. I’m thrilled that it is showing real promise, not just by ensuring compliance with speed limits, but also by getting criminals off our roads.”