Borrow a speed indicating device for your area

Leeds City Council has the ambition that by 2040 no one will be killed or suffer serious injuries on roads in Leeds. We call this Vision Zero. Leeds Vision Zero Strategy 2040 aims to create a road environment and traffic culture where people feel that it’s safe to cycle, safe to let their children walk to school, safe to travel in cleaner, greener, healthier ways on roads that are free from danger. One of the guiding principles of Vision Zero is that tackling road danger is everyone’s responsibility. 

The Community Speed Awareness Scheme has been developed by Leeds City Council’s Influencing Travel Behaviour Team (ITB) to allow members of the local community to use their local knowledge about “problem” speed areas to proactively address speeding and anti-social road behaviour. 

The aim of the Community Speed Awareness Scheme is to help change drivers’ speed choices and behaviour. The SID alerts a casual speeder or a driver who is unfamiliar with the area and may not realise that they are driving too fast or breaking the speed limit. SIDs are a less aggressive and more encouraging tool; they make drivers more aware of potential road hazards and educate them about travelling at an appropriate speed. 

SID is a portable, battery powered, radar activated display board, mounted on a stand, which can be sited at a safe location at the roadside to monitor traffic speed. 

A minimum of two people are required to operate it safely. The SID can easily be moved between different locations and can be reset to register different speed limits using simple online software. 

The SID measures and displays the speed of approaching vehicles. A smiley face symbol is displayed if a vehicle is traveling within the set speed limit, a frowning face symbol or a slowdown message is displayed if the vehicle exceeds the limit. 

This educates drivers about the speed limit and encourages them to correct their behaviour and reduce their speed to an acceptable level. 

The SIDs upper threshold limit is set at 15mph above the official speed limit of the road where it is being used. This is to minimise the possibility of drivers using the device as a target or a challenge to see how fast they can travel through the area. 

There have only been a few formal evaluations of the use of dynamic speed devices the UK. They suggest that SIDS are effective at reducing speed during their use. 

A 2005 study found that when SIDs were installed at five sites in the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames on a 30mph road for four weeks, overall mean vehicle speeds reduced by 1.3 mph in the first week and 1.2 mph in the following week when the SID was active (Poulter D and McKenna F, 2005. Long-term SID Report. University of Reading Project Report for RBK). 

A 2008 study by the Transport Research Laboratory showed that when SIDs were installed at 10 sites for periods of between one and three weeks, there was an overall reduction in vehicle speeds of 1.4mph, and by 2.6 mph at one site. Speed reductions occurred up to a distance of 400 metres downstream. This study also showed that speed reductions return to normal levels about one week after SIDs were removed (Walter L and Broughton J, 2008 Effectiveness of speed indicator devices: An observational study in South London). 

The speed data collected by the SID is password protected and can only be downloaded by the ITB team. Results will be sent to your community group in an excel spreadsheet format by email, after the SID is returned. This enables you to analyse your speed monitoring activity and use the information for further campaign work if required. 

To supplement the SID activity, you may choose to record additional information such as driver seat belt and mobile phone use, using a simple tally chart. Recording number individual plates is not recommended, except in exceptional circumstances. 

Can the SID data be used in prosecutions?

SIDs are not an enforcement tool. The SID does not have a camera and does not capture or record number plates. Drivers exceeding the speed limit cannot be prosecuted using information obtained whilst using a SID. Only information obtained by the police, using approved speed monitoring equipment or safety cameras, can be used to prosecute speeding drivers. 

If footage of poor driving behaviour is captured by a member of the public using a mobile phone or dash cam, it can be uploaded to West Yorkshire Safer Roads portal - Op SNAP. Data uploaded in this way may be used by the Police to prosecute drivers. 

LCC’s Influencing Travel Behaviour Team will provide training on how to set up and use the SID but will not provide officer support during the loan period. The training includes guidance on conducting a site specific risk assessment, how and where to use the device, how to set up and dismantle it, safe lifting and transportation, storage, charging, changing the speed limit and health and safety advice. Training will take approximately 1 hour. 

Training will take place during office hours, at ITB’s office at Merrion House, Leeds City Centre. Not all members of the community group who are loaning the equipment need to undertake the SID training, but we would recommend that at least two people are trained so that they are able to instruct other members of the group. Training may be provided out of hours or at a community venue on request, subject to staff availability. 

ITB will also provide a risk assessment, user guide, high visibility tabards, and road safety information. 

You may be able to get extra support from an officer from your local Neighbourhood Policing Team to help you to operate the SID, dependent upon their workload. 

The SID equipment must be collected from, and returned to, the ITB offices at Merrion House, Merrion Street, 110 Merrion Centre, Leeds, LS2 8BB. There is a loading bay outside the office where a vehicle can park for to facilitate collection and drop off. Collection can be combined with the training session if convenient. 

Delivery or collection may be possible on request, subject to staff availability. 

You may have seen permanent SIDs fixed to street lighting columns in some parts of the city. These signs have been purchased using their own funds either by ward members, parish/town councils or community groups. The Highway Authority has simply facilitated the installation of the equipment, ensuring it has safe and appropriate positioning on the public highway. 

Fixed speed indicator signs are not provided for loan through LCC’s Community Speed Awareness Scheme. This is because the relative portability of a temporary SID can often be more effective. Temporary SIDs can be moved around different locations in the community and set to work at different speed limits. Because these machines are only present on a temporary basis, road users are more likely to notice them and respond accordingly. 

Fixed installations can become a target for vandalism and studies have shown that, over a period of time, drivers can become accustomed to the sign, so their speed slowly increases. This is known as the ‘novelty’ effect or ‘sign blindness’ and is particularly likely when drivers realise that the signs do not have a camera and cannot be used for prosecution. 

If you feel that a fixed device would be more appropriate for your area, or if you would like a survey of speed or traffic volume on a specific stretch of road, contact your local councillor/parish/town council in the first instance to find out whether funding is available and if they are able to support your application. 

For information about local councillors visit www.democracy.leeds.gov.uk.