Villagers to help catch speeding motorists

Date: 25/8/2010

Villagers in Consett, Durham, will use hand-held cameras to catch speeding motorists in a scheme set to be launched next month.

Residents will volunteer to monitor traffic flow using new road-side equipment after members of the Area Action Partnership (AAP) identified road users driving too fast as one of the biggest anti-social behaviours in their community.

Consett currently has no fixed speed cameras and just one mobile safety device.

Corinne Walton, co-ordinator of the Derwent Valley AAP, said: "Speeding traffic was identified as a priority by residents because they live in a very rural area where some motorists drive at excessive speeds on open stretches of road."

Volunteers will write down the registration number and speed of vehicles before giving the information to the police, she added, who can issue warning letters or fixed penalty notices.

The Independent recently reported Norfolk County Council has reduced driving speeds by an average of two miles per hour by planting trees in strategic positions.

Posted by Mary Treen