Making the roads safer in Oldham is one of the highest priorities for people who live in Oldham and Saddleworth says Liberal Democrat Councillor for Grotton, Springhead and Lees, Mark Kenyon. He has campaigned over the last year to introduce a community speedwatch scheme in the borough and has just got the go-ahead that the scheme will finally be piloted by Greater Manchester Police.
The scheme will be run by the Police but operated by community volunteers. The aim is to make motorists who speed through neighbourhoods aware of the impact of their actions on local people, or the danger they pose to other road users and pedestrians. A team of local residents who are willing to volunteer a small amount of time each week are trained and issued with speed detection equipment to monitor speeds.
Councillor Kenyon said: “Vehicles that speed will be sent a warning letter from GMP along with advice to help change their driving behaviour.”
The pilot will be starting in April and Mark Kenyon confirmed that he has asked Grotton, Springhead and Lees to be included as part of the pilot: “Speeding has become an epidemic on many of our roads and it was one of the first things I wanted to address after I was elected. It’s taken a year but this will be an important practical step for us all to help fight this problem in partnership with the Police.”
He concluded: “To get things moving I’ve even offered to pay for the equipment. I can’t wait to see this scheme in operation in Oldham, in particular on the roads in my ward. Once the pilot is complete, GMP have said that we can hope to see a wider rollout in three months”.
People who would like to help with the scheme can find out more by emailing mark.kenyon@oldham.gov.uk