Speed limits exist to protect all road users police resources alone have only a limited impact in enforcing them.We have found that community involvement enables far better coverage especially in terms of time available to devote to this important cause, for this reason surrey police provides training and equipment via the community Speed watch scheme to empower residents to help tackle the dangerous problem of speeding.
Volunteers to the scheme are provided with a speed gun,signs and essential user training. Once a suitable area is approved,Speed watch teams note the registration number and speed of the speeding vehicles in designated locations and report them to the police who, in turn write a warning letter to the registered keeper.
If a vehicle is caught a second time a final warning letter is hand delivered and a warning given in person. Any further offences may result in a fine or penalty points on a licence the scheme was recently established in Shamley Green and Ellen Green and it is hoped that Alford and Dunsfold will follow suit early in 2009 (source)(Safer Neighbourhoods Surrey Police)
The Palmerston Residents Association has been calling for a 20mph for some time to control speed on our main roads like Station Road, Palmerston Road,Inverary Drive, Larkfield Drive, Connsbrook Ave and Pimms Ave. Speed has been a great worry due to road conditions in the areas we see more cars parking in the area on footpaths that in turn causes problems to young mothers with prams, our senior citizens and disabled community.
The problem gets even more congested on Sundays when our churches are being used and other cars are then coming from other areas to park and attend their church. We see the the problem of speeding as a massive problem as more and more cars use the area,our children are put more and more at risk coming home from schools in the area.
We would look to the Surrey policing project and ask why this cannot be tried here as a test area and if it helps to cut down in speeding it could be rolled out in other areas using the Neighbourhood watch groups to carry out the speeding checks,the Palmerston Residents Association has looked at this problem for some time now we are well known for pointing it out to the planning office regarding traffic in the area, when they let developers build apartments in the area at that time we warned how bad the area was becoming due to excess traffic.
The Palmerston Residents Association want action on speed and parking in the area, we would also ask for double yellow lines at the Entrance of Victoria Road as it meets with Palmerston Road to save a fatal accident taking place at this junction.
