The lockdown has highlighted the huge importance of roads policing in reducing collisions and keeping the roads safe for us all and in particular those who are walking and cycling. Those on foot and cycling are especially vulnerable to the danger and intimidation that speeding vehicles cause. As traffic volumes fell at the start of the lockdown and roads became less busy so vehicle speeds increased and extreme speeding became far more prevalent. Some police forces have stepped up to the plate and, in spite of constrained resources, have honed in on the danger that a minority of drivers can pose.
Action Vision Zero has teamed up with RoadPeace and 20’s Plenty for Us to call for higher and more consistent levels of roads policing across England & Wales. We have written to all 40 Police and Crime Commissioners with data about the levels of enforcement that are occuring in their area and asking them to :
- Commit to do more to tackle speeding. This includes having a strategy to reduce speed and make roads safer; being more transparent and ensuring their communities know what the police are doing to reduce road harm, especially on 20mph roads where walking and cycling is encouraged. If PCCs have offence data by speed limit, do publish it online. And clarify how police efforts are monitored and evaluated.
- Encourage community engagement, including by a) promoting and participating in Community Speed Watch programmes when they resume, and b) establishing a stakeholder working group with local authority and community representatives.
We are really pleased that we have already received a number of responses from the PCCs that we have contacted and will let you know about progress in the coming months.
All the data that we have gathered about enforcement can be seen here (see the spreadsheets and downloads in the section Roads Policing – Enforcement)
Please find the letter that we have sent below
