Police and North Yorkshire crime commissioner, Zoe Metcalfe, are facing mounting pressure over claims that 20mph zones in the county are never enforced.
Councillors from across the political spectrum in North Yorkshire have said residents deserve answers from both the force and Ms Metcalfe after they declined to answer questions over why 20mph zones are not even enforced in areas such as outside schools.
Recent meetings of North Yorkshire County Council’s constituency committees have heard that although many residents want the number of 20mph zones increased or introduced across all built-up areas, zones which have been in place for 15 years had never been policed.
Councillors have said while the force’s safety camera vans enforce 30mph restrictions, irresponsible motorists appear to be able to drive with impunity in the 20mph zones.
In responses to questions over why North Yorkshire Police did not enforce 20mph zones, neither the force nor the commissioner denied 20mph zones were not policed, and the police appeared to suggest it would largely be up to trained volunteer residents to do so.
A police spokesperson said:
“When concerns are raised by a local community about a 20mph zone, this may result in a Community Speed Watch outcome via our speed management protocol process. This process is speed and collision data-led and determines the most appropriate outcome for each complaint received.
“Anyone exceeding the speed limit whilst CSW are on deployment can be dealt with. Our roads policing officers may also be requested to conduct speed enforcement as part of their daily duties wherever it is determined necessary – again based on data.”
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When asked why 20mph zones were not being enforced, Ms Metcalfe said operational policing, such as deciding where and when to enforce the law, was the chief constable’s responsibility.
She said:
“I am hearing that road safety is becoming more of an issue for some communities and next year I will be holding a public accountability meeting to look, in depth, at how North Yorkshire Police are keeping our roads and communities safe.
“Speeding motorists and anti-social behaviour on our roads has always been a major concern with communities and I will continue to raise this with the chief constable to ensure that the force are taking the most appropriate action necessary.”
Speed review
Cllr Keane Duncan, executive county councillor for highways, said the authority was reviewing the most effective approach to speed limits following a request by elected community representatives for a default 20mph zone throughout their area.
He said:
“We must ensure that all of our efforts, particularly when resources are tight, are focussed on saving lives and avoiding injuries.
“As part of this review, we will be formally asking the police about their approach to speed enforcement inside 20mph limits so that councillors can consider this.”
Richmond Independent councillor Stuart Parsons said when a large 20mph zone was introduced in the town police stated there would be no enforcement, which made the zone “totally pointless”.
He said:
“The police should be explaining why they are not enforcing the law in its entirety.
“If they’re not there enforcing the 20mph, then they’re not going to be out there enforcing it when the cars are driving at 40mph, 60mph or 80mph. The boy racers know they risk nothing.”
While Cllr Parsons described the Community Speed Watch scheme as a farce as residents faced indefinite waits to be trained, Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh said volunteers had to give motorists advanced warning of speed radar guns, which undermined the deterrent.
Cllr Marsh said she had double checked the force did not enforce 20mph zones, adding:
Success for Harrogate residents in fight against speeding“They do monitor 30mph areas, but they don’t even do that very often, they want this Community Speed Watch, which isn’t accurate and what surprises everybody is there is an allowance for people to drive at up to 37mph without incurring a fine.
“If the police and the commissioner know how people are feeling why aren’t they addressing that?”
A group of Harrogate residents are to receive training in the use of speed cameras as part of a long-running campaign to slow traffic on their street.
Langcliffe Avenue is plagued by motorists using it as a cut through between Leeds Road and Hookstone Road.
A high speed crash shortly before covid heightened concerns and prompted residents to set up a WhatsApp group.
Following an at times frustrating campaign, they are set to become one of about 90 groups in North Yorkshire taking part in the police-led Community Speed Watch initiative.
The scheme enables members of the public to monitor speeding vehicles and pass on details to North Yorkshire Police, which sends warning letters to repeat offenders.
Hilary Vit, who has lived on the street for 30 years, said motorists annoyed by speed bumps on nearby roads tended to put their foot down on Langcliffe Avenue, which has no traffic calming measures.
Ms Vit said the problem was compounded by poor visibility caused by trees lining the avenue.
Jennifer Willcocks said
“Cars drive so fast and there are a lot of children, older people and pets. If a car hits someone at 20mph there is a far greater chance of survival than at 30mph.”
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Juliette Robb said the group’s attempts to tackle speeding got nowhere with North Yorkshire County Council, which is the highways authority. This prompted it to try Community Speed Watch.
Ms Robb said the residents had organised themselves into two teams, which will take it in turns to monitor traffic.
Local Liberal Democrat county councillor Pat Marsh has agreed to fund the radar guns through her Locality budget. Each county councillor has a budget of £10,000 per year to support specific local activities.
The Langcliffe Avenue group’s ultimate aim is to see the speed limit reduced from 30mph to 20mph but this would be determined by the county council and may take some time.
The group on Langcliffe Avenue
How does Community Speed Watch work?
A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:
“The first step in the Community Speed Watch process is to identify areas for the group to stand. Once approved, the group will receive training, and at that point they can either share equipment with other nearby groups or purchase their own equipment.
“Once fully trained, the group can deploy as often as they wish, although most groups deploy for an hour at a time, once or twice a week.
“Any vehicles found to be speeding will have their details taken down and sent to the North Yorkshire Police traffic bureau. Once verified, the registered keepers of those vehicles will receive warning letters. A police officer will attend the address of the registered keeper if they are ‘caught’ three times.
“We currently have about 88 groups taking part in the scheme across North Yorkshire. Since its inception in 2016, around 96% of all offences have been first offences – indicating that people who receive their first warning letter do take the advice on board and adjust their driving behaviour.”
Masham call for volunteers to catch speeders
Masham Parish Council is calling for new recruits to join its Community Speed Watch programme.
An investigation by North Yorkshire Police in August 2020 found Thorpe Road would benefit from a group monitoring speeding drivers.
Cars were only caught driving slightly faster than the 30mph limit but the police still thought it necessary to set up the watch group.
It patrols the area along Thorpe Road near Ibbetson Close heading north into Masham.
The group is currently made up of five volunteers but needs a new speed watch coordinator.
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What is a community speed watch group?
- The group is there to improve road safety and address the concerns of local residents
- It works alongside North Yorkshire Police
- Volunteers monitor the speed of passing cars
- The details of any cars caught speeding are passed to the police
- The police can then send advisory letters to the registered owners informing them they were caught speeding
The coordinator role is the main point of contact between the project and the police.
New volunteers receive all the necessary training and go through risk assessments before heading out onto the roads.
To get involved contact Masham Parish Council via mashamparishclerk@gmail.com.