Road Safety in Burton Pidsea

Good morning all,

You may have noticed a Police presence in the village yesterday, and I just wanted to let you know that this was because of our ongoing commitment to road safety in Holderness, and specifically Burton Pidsea and Roos. 

Thursday nights in the summer - especially the warm and dry ones we have enjoyed of late - attract a lot of motorcyclists onto the local roads, the majority of whom ride very safely and responsibly. However, motorcyclists make up a significant proportion of the “killed and seriously injured” (KSI) statistics on our roads. 

Recently amended legislation under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 allows for the immediate seizure of any vehicle being used in an anti-social manner or ridden/driven in a careless and inconsiderate way, rather than a warning on the first occasion, as used to be the case. The rider/driver then has a probation period of 12 months during which - if caught again in similar circumstances - they will have their vehicle seized again, and will be reported for any offences - and it applies to both the driver AND the vehicle. 

Last night the initial Police presence near the primary school was due to the seizure of a motorcycle under this amended legislation. Later in the evening, following a conversation I had with one of your parish councillors, more speed checks were carried out. 

My primary role within the Holderness Communities Team is Road Safety, and I spend a considerable amount of time, both on and off duty, liaising with road safety engineers, parish councils, traffic specialist colleagues and yourselves to try and find workable solutions to community concern. I no longer use social media as it attracts “trolls” many of whom do not actually live in the affected areas and matters regarding road traffic often generate unhelpful debate. 

However, I cannot be in all places at all times. Community Speed Watch is an excellent way for communities to help themselves, and while it does attract some abuse in social media, it is really a “get out of jail free card” for motorists as it does not result in prosecution, just a written warning. 

Community Speed Watch (CSW) empowers you to do something about the problems you face, and invariably leads to other offences being discovered. It requires a minimum of 6 volunteers, who take it in turns in groups to monitor speed on specific roads with a radar gun. One volunteer monitors speed, while others note the number plates of offending vehicles and record them, the time, date, speed and any other details on a sheet which is then fed back to our dedicated support staff who then write to the drivers to advise them that they have been caught speeding by CSW. Sometimes of course, this can reveal other offences, such as no MOT, no insurance and others. The link to our website is here: Community Speedwatch | Humberside Police and I urge you to take a look, discuss it with your parish council (meetings on the first Monday of every month) and get on board with it. The simple presence of people in high visibility clothing with a speed capture device is a deterrent in itself, and the “words of advice” approach often has a far greater impact than fining people. 

I am committed to reducing the KSI statistics in the Holderness area, and a firm believer in closing the gate before the horse has bolted. Let's continue to work together to make your homes and communities safer places to live. 

Best wishes. 

(Archive picture for illustration only)

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