Residents will be starting to adjust to the new speed limits in and around Eynsham. The final changes to signage and lining have been completed and the new limits are being enforced by the Eynsham Community Speedwatch (CSW) group.
CSW is a national scheme compromising of hundreds of local CSW groups that take responsibility for enforcing speed limits in their area. These groups are all voluntary and make a significant contribution to road safety by helping to reduce excessive vehicle speeds on local roads.
In Oxfordshire, there are approximately 70 CSW groups currently operating, including in Eynsham, Freeland, Stanton Harcourt, North and South Leigh, and Cassington. It’s likely that this number will increase as more parts of the country reduce their speed limits, in line with the County Council’s ambitions to make ’20mph the new 30mph’.
Our Eynsham CSW group (currently 9 trained volunteers) take it in turns to operate at the roadside at points known to encourage drivers to speed. These places are manned once a week by members of the CSW group, with plans to increase this to twice weekly soon.
Members are always highly visible on the roadside, providing drivers with sufficient time to check and adjust their speeds if necessary. Indeed, the intention is to act as a reminder in the first instance and volunteers report that most drivers spot the CSW and slow down.
If a vehicle is still speeding when they approach, their speed and vehicle identification details will be recorded and added to the national database. To date, 46 vehicles have been added.
Thames Valley Police will then send written advice to the vehicle’s registered owner about their action. If the same driver is caught breaking the speed limit again within 6 months – or any driver is caught speeding excessively (50% or more above the limit) – the Thames Valley Police will pay a visit to the registered property.
Over the coming year, the Parish Council will gather data from the CSW group, via road surface tubes and speak to local people to see how the changes have impacted the community. All this material will be reviewed, with additional traffic calming measures considered if necessary.
Residents will have noticed that the design and layout of most of the roads within the village are conducive to driving more slowly, so it’s not too much of an inconvenience. The more challenging roads for drivers to check their speeds are the longer, straight stretches coming in and out of the village.
Anyone who is interested in joining the Eynsham Community Speedwatch group or finding out more about how it works can contact tricia.crowley@eynsham-pc.gov.uk. Any general thoughts on the 20mph scheme can be sent to epc.comms@eynsham-pc.gov.uk.
Residents’ input is welcome to help shape a project that will keep the village roads safer, less polluted and more amenable for use by a variety of road users.