Rolfe delight as Folkestone Speed Watch gets up and running

Folkestone Town Councillors Bev Rolfe, Richard Theobold, Tim Prater, Gary Fuller, Lynne Beaumont were amongst the trainees on Saturday in using Folkestone Town Council's new "Speed Watch" equipment. The Speed Watch display uses radar to check the speed of approaching vehicles and display that speed to the motorist along with a "Slow Down" message if the vehicle is above the speed limit.

Folkestone Town Council have bought the Speed Watch equipment after a motion proposed by Bev Rolfe in order to help local residents tackle speeding problems in local roads throughout Folkestone.

The training, by Kent Roads Policing Officer Ian Clark, went through the safe use of the equipment and included a practical training session in Cornwallis Avenue in Park ward. Now the first training is complete, the equipment can be used by volunteer teams including at least one trained user at agreed locations across Folkestone.

Lib Dem Folkestone Town Councillor for Park Ward, Bev Rolfe, said:

"I'm delighted Folkestone Town Council have bought Speed Watch, as I know what a problem speeding is in so many local roads. I've taken part as a volunteer in Speed Watch sessions before, and seen the impact it has in reminding people of their speed - its really effective at deterring speeding and reminding people to drive safely.

"I'm looking forward to seeing Speed Watch sessions running across Folkestone, and the town Council and Councillors would welcome volunteers who would like to join us at any Speed Watch sessions. The Town Council would also like to hear from residents who would like to see Speed Watch sessions in their roads."

The Community Speed Watch scheme for Folkestone allows volunteers to monitor the speed of vehicles at sites approved by Kent Police. The primary aims of Speed Watch are to improve road safety for all road users and the quality of life for pedestrians and communities.

Road users will not be prosecuted as a result of passing through a Speed Watch road check. The information will be passed to Kent Police to allow them to target problem roads with full checks, and people caught repeatedly breaking the speed limit in Speed Watch sessions will receive a warning letter from Kent Police.