Wetherby Road traffic speed petition handed to Council

Cllr Andrew Waller has today handed a petition to the City of York Council asking them to address speeding concerns on Wetherby Road.

The move comes only a few days before work at the nearby roundabout junction with the A1237 is due to reach its final stages. Residents are concerned that the easier access to and from the roundabout will result in higher speeds in the built-up area.

About twelve months ago a flashing speed warning sign was removed form the road. The petition calls for it to be reinstated and the Police mobile camera van to pay occasional visits to the street.

When the flashing sign was working around 39% of passing vehicles trigger it, suggesting that there was already a speeding issue on the road.

Some residents have suggested that any new sign should display the actual speed of the passing vehicle. This type of sign has proved to be effective in neighbouring counties in reinforcing the speeding message to motorist.

The petition will now be considered by the Council prior to a report and recommendations for action being published.

Speed camera vans – Warning over scam Notice of Intended Prosecution emails

PCC Julia Mulligan with a mobile speed camera van

North Yorkshire Police say they have been made aware of a scam where people are being emailed with false Notice of Intended Prosecution letters (NIP) regarding alleged speeding offences.

North Yorkshire Police is keen to alert people to the fact that these are scam communications and are not sent from their Traffic Bureau department.

A genuine NIP (Notice of Intended Prosecution, Section 172 request for driver details) is sent by first class post or recorded delivery, along with a request to identify the driver at the time of the offence. There would not be a request for any form of payment at this stage. The letter would also carry the North Yorkshire Police crest.

People are urged not to make any payment in response to these emails and not to click on any links contained.

Police are advising that if a member of the public receives a NIP and is unsure of its legitimacy, they can visit the FAQ section of the Safety Camera pages on the North Yorkshire Police website https://northyorkshire.police.uk/what-we-do/road-policing/safety-cameras/

Alternatively North Yorkshire Police Traffic Bureau can be contacted via email TrafficBureau@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk or  by dialling 01904 618968 Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm.

More on speeding

Following our article last week, the City of York Council has updated the report form links on its speeding problems web page

The Council has also explained why it no longer lists the results of speed checks undertaken in the York area. Apparently residents must now look though the data for the whole of North Yorkshire to find the detail that they need. 

The spreadsheet can be downloaded by clicking here 

The York area roads, on which data has been collected over the last 2 years, include:

York Streets where vehicle speeds have been checked 2014 – 2017

York Council neglecting problems with speeding traffic?

Following the embarrassing failure of the 20 mph speed limit project (where on many roads average speeds were found to have risen following the installation of the new signs) it appears that the York Council is turning a blind eye to speeding problems.

Wetherby Road VAS

Wetherby Road VAS

Many residents had pointed out that risks were greatest at locations where motorists routinely exceeded 40 mph.

Despite this, the Councils web page, which is devoted to addressing speeding concerns, has not been kept up to date.

The page (click to access) claims to provide links to an “on line” Police form that can be completed by those wanting vehicle speeds checked. In fact the links are broken (although you can access the form direct by clicking here).

Nor is the Council reporting back on the results of speed checks that have been undertaken. The last list dates from November 2015 but does not include any speed data

There are several problem locations in west York.

These  include St Stephens Road while the frequent activation of the Vehicle Activated warning  Signs on Wetherby Road and Green Lane suggests that many drivers still do not stay within the 30 mph limit.

North Yorks speed camera vanThe Police have 3 safety camera vans. However they tend to visit the same locations in the York area on a regular basis. Clearly they can be assured of regular fine income from sites like those on the A64, but this is at the expense of high profile “reassurance checks” in residential areas.

Recent figures suggest that the vans now concentrate mainly on the A64 and A59 near York.

The Police have singularly failed to produce statistics which confirm whether deployment of the vans has reduced accident rates on particular stretches of road.

Nor do they report whether average speeds have been reduced at sites that they visit regularly.

So, all in all, we think that the speed awareness partnership needs to up its game in and around the City.

 

York police make report speeding concerns easier

You can put forward your concerns about speeding in your local area through the speed management protocol.
PC Andy Collinson, local Safer Neighbourhood Officer, showing a pupil from Colburn how to use the speed gun

York Police have issued the following advice,

“Please first consult the ’95 Alive’ Partnership pdf icon Speed Management Protocol [999kb] for York and North Yorkshire, which will provide you with all the information you need before you make a complaint about speeding in your community, or whether your complaint is better addressed somewhere else.

You can complete the online Speed Concern Report form, completing ALL required details.

Alternatively, you can download and print the word icon Speed Report Form [819kb].

Please provide a suitable email address – we will communicate with you by email when such an address is provided.

If you are aware of a road in York or North Yorkshire which you feel is hazardous (for example, you’ve had a near miss and you feel that the conditions of the road were a factor), you can report it via the Roadwise website“.