Words: Richard Beecham, local democracy reporter
Speeding cars are “racing” with one another late at night in parts of west Leeds, one of the city’s politicians has claimed.
According to Conservative councillor Amanda Carter, boy-racing on roads in Calverley and Farsley has become so bad, she called for existing guidance on allowing fixed speed cameras to be changed in order to combat the problem.
The issue was discussed at Leeds City Council’s outer west community committee, which was also presented with a report which suggested complaints about speeding in and around Pudsey were also increasing.
Coun Carter told the committee:
“We are grateful for the neighbourhood policing team for doing an excellent job. One of the more concerning things for the Calverley and Farsley ward is the speeding on the A647.
“It’s not even speeding, it’s actually car racing late at night. It seems impossible to tackle. Police have their priorities, and sometimes they can get out there and catch them, but if (racers) see a police car there, they just won’t do it that night.
“What we need is fixed speed cameras. We need to keep the pressure on here – it affects quite a number of our constituents. It starts on the border of Bradford and goes into Leeds.”
According to the West Yorkshire Casualty Prevention Partnership, a number of criteria have to be met in order to fit general fixed speed cameras on a road. These include at least least four collisions causing death or serious injury in the previous five years, and a survey to show at least one vehicle in 10 is exceeding the speed limit by more than 10 per cent.
Coun Carter said: “We need to try and keep on to apply some pressure on the West Yorks Casualty Reduction (sic) Partnership and get them to change their criteria.”
A report from Leeds City Council’s localities officer, which went before members of the committee, confirmed that the number of complaints around speeding motorists had increased in west Leeds over the past year. It added:
“(We) have deployed officers on numerous occasions to these roads, including Pudsey Road, Valley Road and Kent Road.
“A number of speeding tickets have been issues to drivers breaking the speed limit and we will continue to deploy officers to these locations at every opportunity.”
The report stated that “in the last few weeks”, six people had been arrested in Pudsey while over the prescribed drink/drugs driving limit.
Yet more cameras, which won’t address the problem as many of those late at night won’t be legal anyway. What they’ll do is catch Mr Mrs Bloggs who’ll creep over the arbitrary limits while driving safely. More cheap policing which will just raise revenue. Most watched/monitored people outside China.