Funding to improve road safety in Chester

A number of schemes to reduce speeding on roads across Chester have been given the green light thanks to funding from police and crime commissioner David Keane.

A variety of road safety initiatives will be established in the community policing areas of Chester Villages and Saughall, Mollington and Elton after the commissioner approved their funding requests from his Community Police Fund.

Saughall Parish Council will install three new ‘vehicle activated signs’ on Long Lane, Seahill Road and Hermitage Road following its successful application. The signs encourage drivers to comply with the speed limit by measuring the speed of oncoming vehicles and displaying the drivers speed.

The signs are to be installed on these roads as they are known to have issues with speeding. The devices have the ability to connect to a computer to display the data of all the speeds collected and at which time of day vehicles passed. This data is then extremely helpful for documenting speeding concerns and working with the relevant agencies on additional solutions.

Chester Villages community policing area covers a number of small villages including Christleton, Littleton, Waverton, Rowton, Mickle Trafford and Bridge Trafford.  Working alongside the Parish Councils in these areas, the community is set to develop a series of road safety related projects to make residents safer.

New community speedwatch groups will be set up by PCSO Linda Bailey using volunteers from the five parish councils.  Volunteers will receive training and help the PCSO to undertake speed enforcement and monitoring activities throughout the villages. Funding will enable them to purchase radar gun which will be shared across the villages.

The parish councils will use some of their grant to purchase no parking signs to be placed outside four of the main primary schools to encourage parents and other drivers to park more considerately.  They hope the banners will enable young people to be safer on their journeys to and from school and will make the roads safer for all roads users.

New signs will be placed along a new cycle path leading from Christleton to Littleton. The cycle path construction will be starting this spring and the new signage will help to keep cyclists safer when using the path. 

There are increasing concerns around road safety in the villages as more drivers start to use them to avoid traffic on the surrounding main roads.

All of the projects have been made possible through partnership working and have involved the community coming together to help develop and deliver the solutions. Projects worked with their dedicated community policing team to establish applications and bid into the commissioner’s new fund.

PCC David Keane said: “I know that road safety issues, and in particular speeding, are a major concern for the majority of residents across Cheshire and road safety is a very emotive subject.

“That’s why I’ve made it my priority to make our roads safer. Although deaths and serious injuries on Cheshire’s roads have reduced by 38 per cent over the last five years, there’s always more we can do to make things safer for all road users and pedestrians.

“Community speed watch is an incredibly important scheme which embraces the passion and dedication of volunteers and enables them to work with Cheshire police to improve road safety in their local area.

“Speed indication devices help to improve road safety and inform future strategy.  They provide a sustainable approach to monitoring speed and are able to collect valuable insight.

“I’m pleased that my Community Police Fund can help bring even more of these road safety schemes to Chester and I thank the local community for working alongside their local police teams to improve community safety”

The Community Police Fund is a new fund which has been made available to all 122 policing communities in Cheshire. Community police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) have been working with local residents and organisations to develop bids of up-to £1,000 to fund projects which address local issues.

The fund has been developed using money seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act (PoCA) 2002. It also links directly to the recently launched initiative to increase police visibility in every community by providing a dedicated Police Constable and PCSO for all 122 areas.

Pictured - PCC David Keane with a Speed Indication Device and local residents in Chester pre-Covid-19.