Putting the brakes on speeding in Warwick District
A hi-tech initiative is getting underway next week in Warwick District to try and make drivers more aware of the speeds they are travelling at.
Warwickshire County Council’s all-new SpeedAware scheme is running in and around Warwick, Leamington, Whitnash and Kenilworth from next week.
The new scheme, lasting for 40 weeks, involves the deployment of three Speed Indication Device (SID) signs at various locations around the area.
These signs will appear temporarily on street lighting for up to a week at a time at each site. The sites to be used in this scheme have all been nominated by local county councillors.
Driver behaviour is a major cause of road accidents and speed is very often a major contributory factor. Awareness of the speed limits is therefore important in ensuring that motorists observe the limit for the road they are on. In turn this could help save lives and reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the county’s roads.
Warwickshire County Council’s Road Safety Engineering team works closely with communities to try and raise awareness of the speed limits and help local people address speeding problems in their area.
The SpeedAware scheme which employs mobile and temporary fixed flashing SID signs to alert drivers of their speed has been in operation throughout the county since 2006. The scheme is aimed at providing a visible deterrent to speeding motorists in areas where residents feel that they have a problem with speeding motorists.
The campaign in Warwick District is a separate standalone scheme and has been made possible through funding from the county council’s Warwick Area Committee councillors. The existing SpeedAware programme will not be affected by this, the aim is to complement current activity and help to promote an even better understanding and compliance of speed limits. The deployment of the signs will be carried out by the AA who have performed similar roles for other local authorities.
Local County Councillor Sarah Boad, Chair of Warwick Area Committee said: “Residents are often very concerned about the speed of traffic and welcome anything that can be done to reduce the speeds on vehicles in their area. Visible speed devices have a very positive effect in slowing down the traffic.”
For more information on SpeedAware contact Tim Hamson on 01926 412536 or for details of SpeedAware and a timetable of visits and site locations please visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/speedaware