Froyle Speedwatch
As we all know, speeding through the village is a real danger to everyone and we want all drivers to moderate their speed with residents leading the way and setting a good example. The designated speed limit is 30 mph and that is the maximum speed allowed.
Residents have been concerned about speeding through the village for over 50 years as evidenced in Froyle Parish Council (FPC) minutes. Despite many initiatives and attempts to reduce the scale of the problem over the years nothing has been consistently successful. Eventually the solution probably starts with each resident as an individual driver. If we believe that there is too much speeding through the village then we must each ensure that we drive at a safe speed and do not exceed the speed limit. The majority of cars passing through the village are probably driven by residents and if we drive carefully then other vehicles must slow down behind us.
Details of schemes currently in operation and initiatives that have been under consideration by the FPC are described below:
Speedwatch
Speedwatch is a volunteer organisation run in many towns and villages across the East Hants District, County and Country by an active network of coordinators with the aim of reducing speeding in residential areas. Speedwatch teams collect data to support any speed reduction initiatives and to directly help reduce the overall speed of vehicles in the village through making drivers more aware of their speed and that their speed is being monitored.
Why was Froyle Speedwatch started, who runs it and can I get involved?
Froyle Speedwatch was started because of a growing concern expressed by residents surveyed when producing the Froyle Parish Plan in 2013 about vehicles speeding through the village. This practice endangers all road users including pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and other motorists with particular concern in Froyle because of the lack of pavements and street lighting. In response to this, the Froyle Speedwatch group was set up and run by village residents. It started as a few hi-vis clad volunteers huddled behind a radar unit on a roadside verge jotting down the number plates of speeding vehicles – usually in the cold and wet – but better monitoring technology is now used (see below). The Speedwatch team sent reports of the vehicles captured during each session to the police and letters were sent to registered owners of those vehicles caught speeding.
There is still a role for a roadside Speedwatch group so if you are interested in volunteering for this please contact Gordon Mitchell on champersg@hotmail.com or Charlie Findlay on charliefindlay@outlook.com or via clerk@froyleparishcouncil.org.uk
How do we encourage drivers through Froyle to proceed at or below the designated speed limit?
30 mph is the maximum legal speed that is allowed when driving through the village. Speed limit signs are located at all entrances to the village with repeater signs at regular intervals along the main village roads. Speed camera signs are also situated at every entrance to the village reminding drivers that their speed may be recorded and monitored.
It should always be remembered that the actual speed driven through the village should be that which is appropriate to the road and weather conditions, and size of vehicles. Most of the roads through Froyle are narrow with blind corners so a safe speed is probably less than 30mph – less in periods of bad weather.
What Speed monitoring devices are used in Froyle?
Two types of speed tracking devices are used in the village. The Speed Indicator Device (SID) reminds people to slow down and travel at the 30 mph speed limit while the AutoSpeedWatch (ASW) cameras record details of all vehicles passing in excess of the speed limit. The SID and ASW sites in Froyle have been approved by Hampshire Constabulary and Hampshire County Council with whom the Parish Council has an Operating Agreement.:
- SID is rotated around selected sites indicating to drivers their speed and reminding them to slow down if exceeding the limit (30 mph). There are currently 6 sites around the village where we can place the SID with the display facing in either direction. SID records volumes and speed of all passing vehicles but does not record any details of individual vehicles.
- ASW cameras are sited at fixed locations and take pictures of any car travelling past them that are exceeding the designated speed set for the camera. Froyle now has two ASW both in Lower Froyle located on Froyle Road near the Anchor, and on Ryebridge Lane by the Recreation Ground. ASWs only collect data on speeding vehicles as outlined below.
The ASW cameras were provided to Froyle (and many other neighbouring villages) by East Hampshire District Council and are installed and operated by the FPC. After a year of operation, the PC has reviewed the effectiveness of the ASW cameras and decided to remove the one in Upper Froyle.
Why are both the SID and ASW used in Froyle?
The SID and ASW cameras have different purposes and provide different data. They both use radar so cannot reliably be used in the same location at the same time.
The SID is an indicator that advises approaching drivers of their speed and encourages them to slow down if they are exceeding the designated (30mph) speed limit. It records the speed of all vehicles passing for data analysis purposes. It does not record registration numbers or take photos of vehicles.
The ASW cameras only record the registration number of vehicles that pass them that are travelling in excess of the set limit (currently 36 mph). A link to the DVLA provides details of a speeding vehicle’s make and colour to ensure the Registration number (VRN) can be correctly verified. The DVLA link also identifies whether a vehicle caught speeding on an ASW camera has valid tax and MOT. The images of all vehicles caught speeding on an ASW are verified by the Froyle Speedwatch team to build up a database of persistent speeders and highest speeds and the data is passed to the local police on a weekly basis.
What information is captured from the ASW and how is this maintained?
The ASWs only take a picture of the rear of a speeding vehicle so they DO NOT capture a picture of the driver.
The Speedwatch team only have access to speeding vehicle information which is held under the terms of the Parish Council’s GDPR registration. They DO NOT have access to information on the driver/owner/keeper of the vehicle.
The Speedwatch team is not allowed to retain any images taken by ASWs via screen shots etc.
The PC has a policy document on the ASWs and how data is collected and used.
How is the ASW information verified?
The Speedwatch team verify that the number plate on each image matches the make and colour registered with DVLA . If the image is not clear or the VRN is unable to be matched with the vehicle details then it is deleted. All images that have not been verified after 14 days are automatically deleted.
Who is the ASW information provided to?
Information of persistent and particularly excessively fast vehicles from each ASW camera as well as any MOT, tax and ‘false number plate’ issues flagged up by the DVLA are verified by the Speedwatch team. This information is provided to the Police on a weekly basis for decisions on local enforcement action. The reports include heat maps of the time when a speeding vehicle is recorded which builds up over time allowing persistent speeders to be targeted.
The Police have access to all ASW cameras which allows them to track vehicles across the area including monitoring average speeds. The Police are particularly interested in vehicles being driven illegally i.e. without valid MOT/ Tax etc as many drivers of illegal vehicles also commit other offences such as driving while disqualified or may be involved in other illegal activity.
What happens to the information collected?
Police cannot prosecute (issue points or fines) based on ASW evidence alone, however they are investigating what action can be taken against offenders including issuance of warning letters and taking action against repeat speedsters other vehicle offences as identified by the ASW images. When priorities allow, the Police plan to use the ASW data to target places, times and vehicles for specific attention with hand held speed guns. Drivers of vehicles caught speeding on these would be prosecuted
EHDC are developing a policy using the ASW cameras across the district to allow them to target the persistent speeders as they move around the East Hampshire district but this is not yet operational.
There is some interesting research from Speedwatch teams that a simple letter pointing out that a vehicle has been noted as speeding has a significant effect on their future offending. Ultimately, the persistent and fastest speeders will only respond if there is some financial or other penalty. At present such options are only available to the Police.
Have the speed monitoring efforts had any effect so far?
Data collected by the Speedwatch volunteer groups showed a reduction in the proportion of vehicles passing through the village that were speeding. Vehicles exceeding 35mph measured using the SID data have seen an overall reduction in the % of speeding vehicles. While the data collected by the ASWs cannot be directly compared with all traffic captured by SID, there appears to be a further 10% reduction following the introduction of the ASW cameras and the speed camera warning signs at the entrances to the village.
For example, of the 40,000 vehicles entering Froyle from the Bentley direction during 2024, 2-3%, or 1,000 were travelling faster than 35 mph – although many of these were going significantly faster than 35 mph with about fifty exceeding 40 mph and four over 50 mph. Data from the ASWs, suggests that the most persistent speeders and those responsible for the highest speeds relate to relatively few vehicles with about 40 individual vehicles accounting for about half of those exceeding 36 mph and each being recorded 10 or more over the period.
The ASW cameras capture vehicles travelling at 36 mph or higher in the 30 mph limit. The table below summarises the incidents recorded at each location between 1st April and 30th Sept 2024. What is apparent from this data is that the number of incidents has reduced suggesting that the ASW are having an effect on driving behaviour through the village.
What else can be done?
Can we introduce a 20 mph speed limit through the village?
A national campaign to introduce 20 mph speed limits has been under way for a number of years. Hampshire County Council have agreed to provide a mechanism for individual Parish and Town Councils to request 20mph speed limits and zones with the cost funded by the requesting Parish. All proposed speed limit changes will require approval from the County Council, as the Highway Authority, and will need to meet the technical criteria set out within the revised policy.
FPC have reviewed the criteria to apply for a 20 mph limit and concluded that it is unlikely that these could be met in Froyle. Furthermore it was considered to be an unjustifiable costs to fund the enforcement of such a limit through the signage and legal amendments when enforcement would continue to be through the same monitoring equipment. Costs of installing such schemes are not cheap with, it is understood, the one in Alton costing well into six figures.
Details of the Hampshire 20 mph policy can be found here
Any additional signage or road restrictions etc can only be installed with permission of Hampshire Highways who have strict rules on what is permissible. Road narrowing and speed bumps have been considered on occasions but are not considered appropriate in Froyle due to the large amount of agricultural machinery using the lanes which would be unable to fit though.
At its recent meetings the FPC has been looking into Community Funded Traffic Measures that are installed at community expense in conjunction with Hampshire Highways. The preferred options were village gateways with appropriate messaging and possibly speed roundels on the road; advisory signage outside the Village Hall and Recreation ground to warn of children playing, alighting from school buses etc.; electronic speed signs; and road markings including designated pedestrian priority zones such as in Beech. Unfortunately Highways response was that no new schemes are being progressed as they do not have resources to conduct the necessary surveys.
Can the ASW cameras be made more visible?
The suppler of ASW equipment do provide reflective strips to make the cameras more visible and these have been installed in some locations such as in Alton. EHDC did not provide the visibility strips and the supplier recommends that the cameras are monitored for 3 months then added if felt beneficial.
One of the Froyle ASW cameras has already been targeted and had to be replaced so there is a strong argument for making them difficult to spot whilst ensuring drivers’ awareness that their speed is being monitored is highlighted by signage.
The visibility strips may be required if information from the ASW camera is used for raising fines.
Can the Froyle ASW cameras monitor average speeds through the village?
The ASW cameras can be set up to record average speeds but this requires multiple cameras on a straight piece of road. This is done locally in Beech and by Binsted PC on Frith End Road but the Froyle cameras have turnings or slow areas between them making the average speed irrelevant.
Who enforces the speed limit?
Enforcement of speed limits for the purpose of issuing traffic violation fines and points can only be taken by the local police force. The fines being considered by EHDC for persistent speeders would be a public order offence levied on the registered keeper of the vehicle.
Can the existing 30mph zone be extended ?
FPC is working with Highways to try and extend the 30 mph limit on Hen and Chicken Hill in Upper Froyle down to the junction with the A31. This would be part of the junction improvements following the fatal accident on the A31 at the Hen & Chicken in 2023.
The only other change to the existing limit that could be considered would be to extend the 40 mph limit from the Bentley A31 slip to the start of the Froyle 30 mph zone just before the Anchor.
Hampshire Highways are not supportive of introducing any speed limit changes in the County due in part to the cost of new signage. As with any introduction of a 20 mph limit in Froyle, the cost would then fall on the FPC and thus residents. For example: introduction of the 20 mph limit in Wales cost £33m just for signage.