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SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Editor (5th Dec 2012 - 15:29:59) The police are currently moving forward with SpeedWatch Schemes in Alton and Petersfield. Liphook will operate under the Petersfield Scheme. There is now a need to recruit volunteers and a co-ordinator to help operate the scheme and a minimum of 6 volunteers will be needed. If you wish to assist with the scheme you should complete an e-application which is linked to the Police website at www.hampshire.police.uk. The co-ordinator will need to be vetted by the police, but not the other volunteers. Further information is available from the Parish Office.

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Councillor Barbara Easton (6th Dec 2012 - 11:33:28) Thanks for posting this- The Parish Council have allocated funds for this scheme, which is an updated version of the hand held radar guns, which are commonly known as speed traps. Volunteers will operate recording equipment on busy stretches into the village and capture vehicle number plate details and pass these onto the police, A policeman will visit persistent offenders at home, giving the driver a chance to avoid points on their licence! The public of Liphook have requested we do something about traffic speeds so please consider coming forward to help. The scheme cannot start without a minimum of six volunteers and one co-ordinator. Thank you

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Mr B (6th Dec 2012 - 17:40:57) I would be willing to be a volunteer and contribute to this worthwhile scheme..........

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Richard (6th Dec 2012 - 18:37:49) Assuming excess speed is an issue in the village, I don't seem to recall any traffic speed monitoring devices on the roads recently to gather said statistics. I would be concerned if this is a "perception of speeding", rather than one based upon empirical fact. If the latter, why have not Hampsire Police taken steps to resolve the issue themselves (which is one of the duties that we, as taxpayers, fund them to do), by taking enforcement action? I wouls also like to know who funds the equipment, as if it is the B&LPC, I can think of more appropriate uses for the funds, rather than traffic enforcement, which is paid for by a seperate precept.

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - John (7th Dec 2012 - 11:20:16) Richard makes an interesting point about the 'perception of speed'. There is no question that there is some poor and selfish driving around Liphook - people recklessly driving through the Square without thought for others or the way people turning into driveways on Longmoor Road, or into the 'spur' before the A3, are tailgated by inpatient idiots. However, in neither case are they actually speeding as such, they are instead driving recklessly. There seems little point trying to catch speeders when the real problem is perhaps danagerous driving, which only the police could deal with if they had a presence in the village. A local with a speed camera is not going to to be able to catch such drivers; careless/dangerous driving may be too subjective. Perhaps investment in speed vigilantes with all the necessary expense of equipment should only be undertaken after detailed analysis of the precise traffic problems in Liphook by the police. Bear in mind this is only the opinion of someone uninformed about what research might already have been done (be interesting to know the stats if it has) and who now has to add 5 + 8 on his fingers!

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - rr (7th Dec 2012 - 21:50:43) i see that the council has agreed funding from what i understand the police cover no cost and "The initial cost can be up to £3,000; this will secure the equipment to monitor speed, high visibility clothing for health and safety purposes, signs and everything needed..." This is from Hampshire Constabularies website. The scheme has no teeth, cannot issue any penalties and can only report people to the police who cant act on the info, they can only hope to catch the offender themselves. Personally i would rather see the money going on clearing the traffic chaos in the village as a huge proportion of the alleged drivers are probably frustrated at sitting in traffic for 20 minutes.... Dont get me wrong i hate speeders but surely having a few people sat on the side of the road isnt going to solve anything. There are surely better ways to spend our council tax on...

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Richard (8th Dec 2012 - 08:12:08) Or better still, put the money towards engineering the roads, so that speeds naturally decline, rather than by applying a "sticking plaster" solution. We may all hate them, but I suspect pinch points and other works to make roads look narrower do more for slowing traffic down than any number of speed detection devices, but then the cynic in me says that fixing the issue properly will not generate the desired level of fines. Do the local council have the stats to backup this expenditure please? After all, it is OUR money!

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Paul Robinson (11th Dec 2012 - 09:41:19) I am pleased to report that Hampshire Constabulary have not abandoned their involvement in monitoring traffic speeding in Liphook. I am informed that the speed camera periodically operated by them on the Portsmouth Road has resulted in several convictions of late. Be warned, kill your speed. Paul Robinson

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Richard (11th Dec 2012 - 11:25:26) From all accounts from here, the area that needs monitoring most, by the police, is Headley Road... I note my comment about proof of the figures to back up the need for this "Speedwatch" activity (and funding) has not been answered. The cynic in me says this is because said evidence does not exist. Perhaps it should be produced, and if appropriate challenged as to its validity...!

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Clare (11th Dec 2012 - 13:21:28) I would also suggest London Road as a hotspot, its access to recreation facilities, library, church etc plus it being a main walk route for school kids makes it a busy pedestrian area that is often ignored by motorists of all ages. The sharp bend near the recreation ground makes it dangerous to cross with vehicles not slowing down, and the accelerating speed of vehicles leaving and entering the village centre can only be a warning of some potential injury/fatality at some stage through some peoples' disrespect of the local community. I'm all for speeding control but doubt the substance of what is being discussed in terms of a speedwatch scheme. I hope there can be a solution that introduces a deterrant and calms the village centre down.

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Phil (11th Dec 2012 - 14:36:36) Please don't waste £3k of taxpayers money on a 'perception of speeding' when the village is normally in grid-lock due to discourteous parking and twits not understanding how mini-roundabouts working. Spend the money on new Christmas Lights!

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Councillor Barbara Easton (11th Dec 2012 - 14:39:06) The evidence of speeding in Liphook was produced from our recorded SLR data. This provided enough proof that vehicles were routinely exceeding the speed limits in Liphook, which in the centre of Liphook is 20 miles per hour. The cost to the Parish will be £500 in total providing six people at least volunteer. If not enough volunteers are found Liphook will not share the monitoring equipment and no money will be spent. Our district councillors all back this scheme and parishoners have regularly come forward to request we do something about speeding traffic in Liphook.

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Richard (11th Dec 2012 - 19:48:26) Can we have the numbers please, ie. number of vehicles passing through in a given time frame and the number who were speeding, and what range of speeds (eg n number of cars passed through in a 24 hour period,m of which 50% were under the speed limit, and 25% exceeded it by 10 mph and the next 20% bt 20 mph and the last 5% we really need to catch! - these figures are only suggested numbers.). If drivers are able to speed through the centre of the village, and if it is causing serious accidents (four is the criteria I belioeve) why not try and get a speed camera. Alternatively, how about some proper road engineering to make it impossible to spped through the village?

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - liz (12th Dec 2012 - 10:38:35) Is it true that the 20mph speed limit in the centre of the village is not actually enforceable and it is still really a 30mph limit? Don't worry I'm not planning to speed through the village, just curious.

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Phil (12th Dec 2012 - 11:25:54) A plea in advance - whatever outcome there is can we NOT have any speed bumps installed. Find another way. Speed bumps just damage cars, and cause more pollution as drivers have to accelerate when past them.

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Councillor Barbara Easton (12th Dec 2012 - 12:40:28) In answer to Liz the enforcement application of the 20 Miles per hour restriction is not now in any doubt with the police,so if caught in a speed trap doing more than the legal 20 the answer is yes the police can issue penalty points and so on. In answer to the gentleman questioning the proof of speeding cars this may take longer to obtain as I do not personally know where the relevant info has been stored. In any case no money has yet been spent on this- we have to get the volunteers in place first.I re-iterate this was a call from the public to try and tackle speeding.

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Richard (12th Dec 2012 - 18:35:53) I have seen speed and traffic monitoring devices used elsewhere (2 parallel wires in the road). Who uses these, is it the Police or the County Council? Whoever has responsibility for these, should be prevailed upon to employ said devices. I am getting the distinct impression that the local council is having to set up a scheme to compensate for a service delivery shortfall by another agency. Please tell me that this is not the case. Before we go down the route of spending funds, please quantify the size of the issue please.

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Councillor Barbara Easton (12th Dec 2012 - 19:19:56) Richard the two wires in the road are monitoring equipment put in by the county council to measure speed and number of vehicle journeys, if there have been requests from councillors ( on behalf of concerned residents), and this data lead to speed limit signs being installed by the county council.

Re: SpeedWatch Scheme Volunteers - Richard (12th Dec 2012 - 20:36:20) Barbara, thanks for the info on the wires. Can we save some money and have the County Concil monitor the speed of vehicles through the village and the traffic pattern so the scale of the issue can be determined and the local constabulary can then be tasked to do something effective about it, after all, we are paying for thses services, and as I have said before, I suspect there are other, much better, places where the local council funds could be spent for the betterment of the community?

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