This is where Community Speed Watch is taking place in Scarborough and Whitby today

A record number of Community Speed Watch groups are monitoring North Yorkshire's roads today as part of a campaign to reduce speeding.
File photo.File photo.
File photo.

It is the county’s biggest ever turnout on a single day with more than 20 Community Speed Watch groups taking part including volunteers in Osgodby, Ruswarp and Briggswath.

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Volunteers will be using a number of approaches, including monitoring speeds and providing high-visibility deterrents, to encourage motorists to observe speed limits and drive carefully in villages, suburbs and other residential areas.

They are supported by North Yorkshire Police’s safety camera vans, which are being deployed to several locations, and PCSOs are also visiting one location in Skipton to provide further high-visibility support for the scheme.

The deployments mark a nationwide campaign by TISPOL, the European Traffic Police Network, to reduce speeding.

Jamie Smith, of North Yorkshire Police’s Traffic Bureau, said: “Today’s record turnout sends a clear message to motorists that communities welcome careful drivers but will not tolerate speeding, careless driving or other behaviour that needlessly puts lives at risk.

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“We’re extremely grateful to volunteers for the fantastic turnout today across 24 Community Speed Watch locations – it shows how much people care about this issue and support North Yorkshire Police’s attempts to tackle speeding.

“By working with us, they are helping us make our roads safer while also directly improving the places they live. It’s a win-win approach.”

North Yorkshire now has 69 Community Speed Watch groups, which monitor speeds, provide a highly-visible deterrent and pass on information to the police so offenders can be dealt with.

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Its main aim is to draw drivers’ attention to speed limits in areas where communities feel excessive speed is affecting their quality of life, and to educate them about the impact of their actions.

It was developed after a public consultation run by the Police and Crime Commissioner in July 2014 which showed that four out of five residents were concerned about road safety in North Yorkshire, and that 72 percent of people felt that more should be done to improve road safety through enforcement or education.

The scheme was piloted between March and September 2015 and due to positive results and a positive public response, it now forms one part of North Yorkshire Police’s approach to roads policing.

To find out more about how a Community Speed Watch group could be set up in your area, visit northyorkshire.police.uk/what-we-do/road-policing/community-speed-watch/

Groups deploying today include:

· Hutton Rudby, Hambleton

· Embsay, Craven

· Ruswarp, Scarborough

· Allerston, Ryedale

· Briggswath, Scarborough

· Barlow, Selby

· Romanby, Hambleton

· Flawith, Hambleton

· Rufforth, York

· Weaverthorpe, Ryedale

· Tholthorpe, Hambleton

· Osgodby, Scarborough

· Gilling West, Richmond

· Eggborough, Selby

· Sheriff Hutton, Ryedale

· Scagglethorpe, Ryedale

· Burton Stone Lane, York

· Tunstall, Richmond

· Carleton, Craven

· Huby, Hambleton

· Seamer, Hambleton

· Kelfield, Selby

· Hampsthwaite, Harrogate

· Bishopthorpe Road, York