A Transport for London (TfL) community-led initiative to catch speeding motorists is proving a success in south west London.
TfL are working in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the City of London Police (CoLP) to run the initiative, which gives residents the opportunity to work side by side with the Police Safer Transport Team for their borough.
In Community Roadwatch sessions residents are issued with speed detection equipment to identify speeding vehicles in their communities, and warning letters are then sent to drivers caught to emphasise the dangers of excessive speed.
Since it launched across all 33 London boroughs in August 2015, nearly 39,000 speeding drivers have been caught, and Neil Worth, road safety officer for GEM Motoring Assist, said: “Community speed initiatives carry a valuable role in assisting with the fight against drivers who speed in residential areas.
“Around 400 people lose their lives each year in crashes where someone was exceeding the speed limit or driving too fast for the conditions.
“We see properly-organised community initiatives as playing a key part in making our roads and communities safer.”
In 2017, there were 70 Community Roadwatch sessions in Croydon and Hammersmith and Fulham, 57 in Wandsworth, 55 in Kensington and Chelsea, 46 in Richmond, 32 in Lambeth, 27 in Sutton, 15 in Kingston and 8 in Merton.
In these sessions, there 4,009 speeding vehicles were caught in Croydon, 831 in Hammersmith and Fulham, 952 in Wandsworth, 587 in Kensington and Chelsea, 425 in Richmond, 1,044 in Lambeth, 364 in Sutton, 263 in Kingston and 38 in Merton.
Almost half the deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads are caused by vehicles travelling at inappropriate speeds.
However, Carshalton and Wallington MP Tom Brake believes that the problem shouldn’t be passed on to residents in this way.
He said: “While it’s important to get volunteers involved, it would be very worrying if this activity has now been passed down to residents.
“The continued cuts by the Government are putting at risk safety in our community.
“We need a greater police presence on our streets – not a smaller one.
“Police officers regularly mention that the main problem they face when trying to tackle speeding is a lack of resources.
“That’s why the Lib Dems have called for an extra £300 million each year to be spent on community policing each year. This would enable an extra 10,000 officers to be recruited. ”
TFL are keen for residents in all boroughs to take part in Community Roadwatch or suggest a residential area where there are community concerns around speeding.
To take part in the Community Roadwatch Programme, contact [email protected].
