Dear Parish / Town Councils
At the last Area Committee a request was made for information regarding how to report speed concerns and the process for how they are dealt with.
North Yorkshire County Council share concerns about speeding motorists and seeks to address those concerns to reduce casualties and improve the safety, quality of life for people who live and travel in North Yorkshire. Working with our 95 Alive Road Safety Partnership organisations, the local Road Safety Group triage, North Yorkshire Police and Fire & Rescue have developed a speed management protocol (SMP) to deal with speed complaints. The Speed Management Protocol is administered by the Traffic Bureau, North Yorkshire Police.
The local Road Safety Group triage consists of:-
· North Yorkshire Police - Sgt or Traffic Sgt
· North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service - Station Mgr
· North Yorkshire County Council - Local Road Safety & Travel Awareness Officer and Local Area Office Project Engineer or Improvement Manager
An overview of the SMP is as follows:-
1. To report a site causing concern a speed concern report form (doc / 820 KB) needs to be filled in and returned to the address below:-
North Yorkshire Police Traffic Bureau
PO Box 809
York
YO31 6DG
Or emailed to:- [email protected]
2. The local Road Safety Group meet to assess the site submissions
3. When deemed the site is requiring further analysis, strictly in date order of receiving the speed concern form, the data recording equipment is deployed on the site specified form for 1 week
4. The data is collected and analysed
5. The local Road Safety Group meet every 4-6 weeks to discuss results of surveys carried out and agree outcomes
6. Outcomes / decisions are reported back to the complainant by letter or email
7. Outcome decisions are sent to the relevant organisation for actions / requirement
What information is looked at?
So that a proportionate response is provided an objective means of assessment for locations of concern and complaints has been developed. Evidence and information is gathered so there is a full picture of the location:-
i. Recent collisions
This information is based upon data for the preceding three years, where speeding may be a contributory factor and prioritised on severity by classifying collisions as fatal, serious, or slight. A point scoring system is then used to categorise each location. This is based on a slight casualty receiving 1 point, with a fatal or serious casualty being weighted at 4 points. A total point’s score of 6 or more is needed for the location to be given a “high” category.
ii. Speed data
Equipment is installed on the roadside which collects speed data over a period of at least 7 days (24 hours a day). This is then analysed. All the data is looked at to see what speeds vehicles are being driven at and the times of day, days of the week when they do so to show when the road is busiest and when it is quiet. The analysis looks further into the data, which is explained below:-
a. The mean speed
The mean speed is calculated: ‘mean’ speed is what most people refer to as the ‘average’ speed although it is slightly different. More specifically, it is the total sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers there are. This provides a good overall indication of the speed in any given location and is the measurement Highways will look at to determine what engineering would need to be done to achieve it which could be traffic calming or improving the road signage / markings.
b. The 85th percentile speed
To get a more complete picture, the mean speed is not worked on in isolation as it can miss out patterns of driving and specific issues. So as well as the mean speed, the 85th percentile speed is looked at. This shows that 85% of all vehicles are travelling at less than this speed so it shows the speed that the majority of drivers feel comfortable to drive at for this location. If 85% of drivers are driving at or very close to the posted speed limit, this shows that the limit is working well with most drivers. If this is not the case, Highways will look at what engineering can be done to achieve it which could be traffic calming or improving the road signage / markings.
c. The highest speeds
Top speeds reached by the other 15% of drivers is also looked at and when this happens (time and day of the week). If there is a regular pattern, this can help to target police enforcement.
iii. How fast is too fast?
When assessing the speeding data, 95 Alive adopts the same guidelines that North Yorkshire Police use for enforcement purposes. These are the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC, Formally ACPO) guidelines and are outlined in the national publication ‘ACPO Speed Enforcement – Policy Guidelines 2011-2015 Joining Forces for Safer Roads. Therefore, speeds that reach 10% plus 2 mph over the posted speed limit will be eligible for action.
An example in a 30 mph limit would be:-
Speed limit 30mph
10% 33 mph
+2 mph 35 mph - meaning a prosecution level starting at 35 mph
The calculation for all speeds is below:-
Speed Limit
Action considered at:-
20mph
24mph
30mph
35mph
40mph
46mph
50mph
57mph
60mph
68mph
What is done with the information?
Based on the available speed data and the collision record, each location is then categorised using a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being the highest priority.
The table below details each category:-
Category
Speeds
Casualties
Priority
1
High (meets or exceeds the threshold for action)
10% + 2mph
High (6 or more points)
1 per slight, 4 per Fatal or serious
Very high
Consider:-
· Enforcement
· Engineering
· Education
· Community Speed Watch
2
Low
High
High
Consider:-
· Engineering
· Education
· Community Speed Watch
3
High
Low
Medium
Consider:-
· Enforcement
· Education
· Community Speed Watch
4
Low (averages at or under 10% + 2 mph)
Low/None
Low
No further action required
Outcomes / decisions are reported back to the complainant by letter or email
Options for action
· Education and Publicity
· Temporary Vehicle Activated Signs
· Permanent Vehicle Activated Signs
· Highways engineering
· Police enforcement
At the last Area Committee a request was made for information regarding how to report speed concerns and the process for how they are dealt with.
North Yorkshire County Council share concerns about speeding motorists and seeks to address those concerns to reduce casualties and improve the safety, quality of life for people who live and travel in North Yorkshire. Working with our 95 Alive Road Safety Partnership organisations, the local Road Safety Group triage, North Yorkshire Police and Fire & Rescue have developed a speed management protocol (SMP) to deal with speed complaints. The Speed Management Protocol is administered by the Traffic Bureau, North Yorkshire Police.
The local Road Safety Group triage consists of:-
· North Yorkshire Police - Sgt or Traffic Sgt
· North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service - Station Mgr
· North Yorkshire County Council - Local Road Safety & Travel Awareness Officer and Local Area Office Project Engineer or Improvement Manager
An overview of the SMP is as follows:-
1. To report a site causing concern a speed concern report form (doc / 820 KB) needs to be filled in and returned to the address below:-
North Yorkshire Police Traffic Bureau
PO Box 809
York
YO31 6DG
Or emailed to:- [email protected]
2. The local Road Safety Group meet to assess the site submissions
3. When deemed the site is requiring further analysis, strictly in date order of receiving the speed concern form, the data recording equipment is deployed on the site specified form for 1 week
4. The data is collected and analysed
5. The local Road Safety Group meet every 4-6 weeks to discuss results of surveys carried out and agree outcomes
6. Outcomes / decisions are reported back to the complainant by letter or email
7. Outcome decisions are sent to the relevant organisation for actions / requirement
What information is looked at?
So that a proportionate response is provided an objective means of assessment for locations of concern and complaints has been developed. Evidence and information is gathered so there is a full picture of the location:-
i. Recent collisions
This information is based upon data for the preceding three years, where speeding may be a contributory factor and prioritised on severity by classifying collisions as fatal, serious, or slight. A point scoring system is then used to categorise each location. This is based on a slight casualty receiving 1 point, with a fatal or serious casualty being weighted at 4 points. A total point’s score of 6 or more is needed for the location to be given a “high” category.
ii. Speed data
Equipment is installed on the roadside which collects speed data over a period of at least 7 days (24 hours a day). This is then analysed. All the data is looked at to see what speeds vehicles are being driven at and the times of day, days of the week when they do so to show when the road is busiest and when it is quiet. The analysis looks further into the data, which is explained below:-
a. The mean speed
The mean speed is calculated: ‘mean’ speed is what most people refer to as the ‘average’ speed although it is slightly different. More specifically, it is the total sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers there are. This provides a good overall indication of the speed in any given location and is the measurement Highways will look at to determine what engineering would need to be done to achieve it which could be traffic calming or improving the road signage / markings.
b. The 85th percentile speed
To get a more complete picture, the mean speed is not worked on in isolation as it can miss out patterns of driving and specific issues. So as well as the mean speed, the 85th percentile speed is looked at. This shows that 85% of all vehicles are travelling at less than this speed so it shows the speed that the majority of drivers feel comfortable to drive at for this location. If 85% of drivers are driving at or very close to the posted speed limit, this shows that the limit is working well with most drivers. If this is not the case, Highways will look at what engineering can be done to achieve it which could be traffic calming or improving the road signage / markings.
c. The highest speeds
Top speeds reached by the other 15% of drivers is also looked at and when this happens (time and day of the week). If there is a regular pattern, this can help to target police enforcement.
iii. How fast is too fast?
When assessing the speeding data, 95 Alive adopts the same guidelines that North Yorkshire Police use for enforcement purposes. These are the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC, Formally ACPO) guidelines and are outlined in the national publication ‘ACPO Speed Enforcement – Policy Guidelines 2011-2015 Joining Forces for Safer Roads. Therefore, speeds that reach 10% plus 2 mph over the posted speed limit will be eligible for action.
An example in a 30 mph limit would be:-
Speed limit 30mph
10% 33 mph
+2 mph 35 mph - meaning a prosecution level starting at 35 mph
The calculation for all speeds is below:-
Speed Limit
Action considered at:-
20mph
24mph
30mph
35mph
40mph
46mph
50mph
57mph
60mph
68mph
What is done with the information?
Based on the available speed data and the collision record, each location is then categorised using a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being the highest priority.
The table below details each category:-
Category
Speeds
Casualties
Priority
1
High (meets or exceeds the threshold for action)
10% + 2mph
High (6 or more points)
1 per slight, 4 per Fatal or serious
Very high
Consider:-
· Enforcement
· Engineering
· Education
· Community Speed Watch
2
Low
High
High
Consider:-
· Engineering
· Education
· Community Speed Watch
3
High
Low
Medium
Consider:-
· Enforcement
· Education
· Community Speed Watch
4
Low (averages at or under 10% + 2 mph)
Low/None
Low
No further action required
Outcomes / decisions are reported back to the complainant by letter or email
Options for action
· Education and Publicity
· Temporary Vehicle Activated Signs
· Permanent Vehicle Activated Signs
· Highways engineering
· Police enforcement