Helping communities slow down

Meet Julie, the driving force behind Community Speedwatch

Communities across Cambridgeshire are playing an increasingly important role in improving road safety, thanks to the dedication of local volunteers and the support of Police and Crime Commissioner, Darryl Preston.

At the heart of the county's Community Speedwatch programme is Julie Clark, the Forcewide Watch Coordination Officer, funded by the Commissioner, who has spent almost two years supporting volunteers, coordinating schemes and helping communities tackle speeding concerns on their local roads. There are now 113 Community Speedwatch groups with over 1,000 volunteers operating across Cambridgeshire, alongside four HGV Watch schemes, with volunteers giving up their own time to encourage safer driving and make roads safer for everyone.

For Julie, road safety is much more than a job.

During her previous career as a Police Court Clerk, she witnessed first-hand the devastating impact of road traffic collisions, many of which could have been prevented. Those experiences inspired her passion for helping others and giving something back to local communities.

Road safety has also always been close to home. Julie's father served as a traffic police officer, instilling from an early age the importance of responsible driving and protecting those who use our roads.

Julie said: "Being part of the Vision Zero initiative means so much. To be given joint responsibility with my team to help reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on Cambridgeshire's roads is a privilege and I am so grateful to members of the community who volunteer their free time to help keep Cambridgeshire's roads safe."

Community Speedwatch empowers residents to become part of the solution. Following training, volunteers monitor vehicle speeds in areas where speeding has become a concern, helping educate drivers and providing valuable data to police and partners.

The initiative is further supported by the county's highly visible Vision Zero safety vans, also funded by the Commissioner,  which are regularly used by the Constabulary alongside Speedwatch sessions and act as a powerful visual reminder for motorists to slow down.

As Chair of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Vision Zero Partnership, the Commissioner is committed to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on the county's roads through the safe system approach that all Vision Zero partners have signed up to, you can read more on the Vision Zero Website.

"Every death or serious injury on our roads is one too many”, explains Darryl.

“Community Speedwatch demonstrates what can be achieved when local people, volunteers and partner organisations work together towards a common goal. Julie's passion and commitment, alongside the incredible dedication shown by our volunteers, is helping create safer roads across Cambridgeshire. As Chair of the Vision Zero Board, I remain committed to investing in practical initiatives that educate drivers, reduce speeding and ultimately save lives."

Julie hopes even more communities will become involved.

Any parish council, community group or residents experiencing speeding issues can enquire about setting up a Community SpeedWatch scheme. With the support of trained volunteers and partners, local people can make a real difference in improving road safety where they live.

Every volunteer, every SpeedWatch session and every driver who chooses to slow down helps move Cambridgeshire one step closer to the Vision Zero ambition of eliminating deaths and serious injuries on our roads.