THE head of Ryedale police is hoping to bring a new road safety pilot programme to the area following its launch this week.

Community Speed Watch – the first of its type to run in North Yorkshire – is part of a broad programme of activities to address road safety issues.

The scheme has been championed by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan, on the back of research she commissioned last year, which showed that four out of five residents were concerned about road safety in the county, while 72 per cent of people felt that more should be done through enforcement or education.

The community speed watch pilot programme will run at up to 50 sites across York, Harrogate and Selby, where people have already registered concerns about speeding vehicles.

The sites are mainly residential areas, with 30mph and 40mph speed limits.

Over the next six months, police volunteers, together with members of the community, will visit the sites with hand-held radar guns and/or an LED speed signs.

They will record vehicle speeds and anyone caught speeding will receive a letter from North Yorkshire Police informing them of their offence and the need to address driving behaviour.

Inspector Andy Everitt, of Ryedale police, said he was keen to bring the scheme into the district because speeding in towns and villages was a major concern.

“I shall be watching this pilot closely because I am keen to introduce community speed watch schemes in Ryedale in response to on-going concerns relating to speeding in our towns and villages.

“I see community speed watch schemes working hand-in-glove with police enforcement activity.”

Mrs Mulligan said: “Since coming into office, the public have told me they feel frustrated and let down when told their speeding concerns are not sufficiently serious to warrant action.

“Moreover, last year there were about 70 accidents as a result of speeding in 30mph and 40mph zones alone.

“This new scheme is therefore a significant development, particularly for people living in villages and other rural locations.”

Tim Madgwick, deputy chief constable at North Yorkshire Police, and the force’s lead on road safety, said community speed watch was an important new tool in the ongoing campaign to address road safety issues. “From our work with communities, we know that there are different levels of severity when it comes to speeding on local roads,” he said.

“What has been needed for some time now, is a practical tool to help people in areas that are not the most severe accident hot-spots, but where speeding is still a significant problem that affects the quality of life for residents.

“Community speed watch fills that gap and we very much hope that communities who are concerned about excess speed in their area will take an active interest in this pilot scheme.”

For more information go to northyorkshire.police.uk/communityspeed watch