Safer Roads Watch

Merseyside’s Safer Roads Watch Volunteer scheme is a pathway for individuals who are passionate about maintaining road safety and keeping their communities safe.

Members of the public are being provided the opportunity to help keep the roads of Merseyside safe by working with local police. Volunteers are provided with support and training from Merseyside Police and are supported by their Local Council, with the aim to promote road safety.

For information on how to apply Contact us on: Contact – Merseyside Road Safety Partnership
Include Your name, email address, the road/s of concern and someone will get back to you shortly.

Speed is one of the fatal five and a recognised contributing factor into collisions resulting in an individual being killed or seriously injured on our roads. By becoming a Safer Roads Watch Volunteer you will be recruited by Merseyside Police as a volunteer, you will work in your own area to make your community and your roads safer.

Once trained, Safer Roads Watch Volunteers will be issued with Speed Detection Devices, documentation and a high visibility jacket. You will work under the supervision of your local policing team until fully trained. Once signed off as competent your group may work independently, only calling police to book on or off duty.

You will record details of vehicles traveling in excess of the speed limit, Merseyside Police Safer Roads Unit will then write to the registered keeper of the vehicle providing education and advice regarding speeding and the impact it has. Serious or repeat vehicles may be delegated to Police Officers for further enquiries.

While enforcement is effective at reducing speed, educational input is also key to making our Roads Safer, many speed through misconception, some through lack of local knowledge and others by simply not understanding what to look out for.
With your assistance we can engage with drivers at the first opportunity to ensure they know what to look out for and how to Be Road Safe.

By working together with communities, we can ensure Safer Roads for everyone.

LCR Road Safety Strategy – Safe Speeds

The speed at which vehicles travel on our roads have a direct impact on the risk and safety of those who share the network.

If a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle at 20mph, they are about five times less likely to be killed than if it were travelling at 30mph.

A reduction in speed is fundamental to reducing road danger and encourages the implementation of lower speeds appropriate to the geography of the road, supported by intelligent engineering and design. Whilst analysis identifies and frames the safer speeds work, it offers communities the opportunity to take ownership of their own area through information exchange and initiatives such as Safer Roads Watch, which promotes a safe environment in which communities can live, work, exercise and commute.

VISION ZERO

Safe Speeds Safer Roads Watch was established to forge working partnerships between Merseyside Police, Local Authorities, and communities to address road safety concerns in their areas. This is a collaborative scheme which will increase the opportunity for reactivity to community led intelligence and a sense of ownership to local issues.

Research has shown that 20mph limits are generally well received, are most effective where traffic signs are accompanied by road markings, and more so where there are traffic calming features such as road narrowing or speed humps. It adds that consideration should also be given to encouraging local authorities to work with the police, health, environment, urban planning, education, and the local community to deliver 20mph limits as part of an integrated approach to addressing transport, community, environment and health objectives, subject to available funding.

Community led intelligence provides the opportunity to shape enforcement in areas to prevent what could become a potential KSI hotspot. Community underpins the work of the Partnership with a forward facing, targeted approach taken to addressing concerns within neighbourhoods and areas identified by those who live and travel there.

This allows for greater interaction with road users and promotes the work of the Partnership in a localised, specific manner enabling a more cohesive approach to active travel Enforcement of these areas is led by Merseyside Police through a combined approach including Local Policing, Roads Policing Unit and the Safer Roads Unit using both static and mobile technology to provide enforcement activity.

This can be implemented throughout the existing enforcement site structure and include the capacity to be reactive to emerging concerns. 20mph speed limits reduce speeds in urban areas. In conjunction with local communities, these areas will be sympathetic to existing street layouts whilst encouraging compliance through innovative engineering and design in conjunction with traditional enforcement. Through analysis and community interaction, we will look to identify areas which would benefit from further intervention.

Contact us on: Contact – Merseyside Road Safety Partnership for more information and how to apply.
Include Your name, email address, the road/s of concern and someone will get back to you shortly.

Some words from 2 of our Safer Roads Watch Volunteers:

I joined Safer Roads Watch 2 years ago. I’d recently moved into the area and was amazed at the speed in which people travelled along our road which is a 30mph. We try and do at least 2 operations a month but this can increase in the summer months and decrease in the winter. At first we always required police presence but once we had gained confidence in what we were doing and the police were confident in us we can now operate without police presence. I work on our local road and it’s been really satisfying to gain council and police support, the Council wired up a sign which displays the motorists speed with a thank you if 30 or under and it flashes and says slow down (I think) if the speed is in excess of 30. They’ve also put SLOW markings on the road. The police have deployed their speed detection van to the site approximately once a month. When we first started we could easily get 50 drivers in an hour doing 37 or other, but the last few operations this number has decreased to around 25 vehicles in an hour which I think is a positive and this has also been about educating drivers that it is a 30mph road. Not only are we making the road where we live safer it’s also been a great way of meeting some of my neighbours and others who live further along the road or in the area. I would highly recommend signing up as you really do make a difference.

I joined Safer Roads Watch team in February this year and found it to be a small but very enthusiastic group of locals. Having lived in the area since 2006 I have always been aware of the excessive speed some vehicles travel at, I was aware there was a local group set up I was keen to join. I’ve found Safer Roads Watch to be very interesting and personally enlightening. There’s variety of speeds, and lack of driver understanding that the road is a 30 . The scheme is an excellent way of meeting neighbours and attempting to make our roads safer.