News - April 6th 2023.
The Parish Council has distributed a questionnaire asking for opinions on speeding in Elstead, with a view to starting a new Community Speed Watch scheme.. If it happens this will be the third Speed Watch scheme run in Elstead, the first in 2010 and the second in 2015. Both were successful in catching a large number of offenders, who received warning letters from the Police. The reports produced helped to make the case for the pedestrian crossing and the installation of speed warning signs, although both took a long time to happen.
The success of any Speed Watch scheme depends on the volunteers running it and the initial requirement to start is 6 people. For various reasons people tend to drop out over time and more than six volunteers will be needed for a long running operation. It is a rewarding activity, even if it can be a bit cold and wet and some drivers are definitely not happy!
Opinion Survey 2010. We ran a similar opinion survey in 2010 and received 96 responses, mainly from Elstead residents that made clear the real concerns about speeding. [LINK]
Comments. We received a large number of comments as a result of this questionnaire, the majority of them very constructive and expressing concern about the problems. There were two very negative comments, one suggesting that there was no problem and that we should run a speed survey to prove it, the other accusing us of spying on our neighbours and criminalising motorists. [LINK]
Traffic Survey 2015. We were not able to run a proper speed survey in 2010 but a full professional 24/7 survey was done for two weeks in 2015 as part of evidence collection for the Neighbourhood Plan project. [LINK]