Gloucestershire Conservatives call for funding reinstatement of community speed watch
Criticism of current road safety strategy sparks proposal for £360,000 allocation
Conservative councillors in Gloucestershire are advocating for the reinstatement of funding for the community speed watch initiative, which was cut earlier this year.
The previous funding was redirected to support the rollout of 20mph speed limits in parts of the county, benefiting just 40 of around 400 communities.
Councillors propose allocating £360,000 to revive the volunteer-led speed watch scheme that uses specialised devices and vehicle activated signs to curb speeding.
Councillor Tom Bradley, representing Campden-Vale, expressed disappointment over the current administration's road safety measures, calling for tangible action rather than unfulfilled promises.
His colleague, Councillor Daryl Corps, criticized the Lib Dem-led strategy as a postcode lottery, leaving many parishes feeling abandoned without essential road safety tools.
In contrast, Liberal Democrat Roger Whyborn defended the current strategy, emphasizing that targeting funding based on casualty and collision data maximizes the impact on road safety.
Whyborn maintains that resources must focus on areas with the highest risk to effectively reduce accidents, suggesting that broader measures like community speed watch alone do not yield sustained results.
As debates continue, the effectiveness and allocation of road safety funding remain central to Gloucestershire County Council's strategy discussions.