Speeding: Are on-the-spot fines on the way?
Tuesday 27th October 2009, 2:57PM GMT.
The speed limit in green lanes could be raised to 20 mph
ON-the-spot fines and a penalty points system for motoring offences could be introduced following a major review of Jersey’s speed limits.
The 15 mph limit on green lanes could also be increased to 20 mph and the 40 mph limit on some small parish lanes could be reduced.
The changes were suggested by a group of four politicians following a six-month review of speed limits and ways to police the Island’s roads.
The recommendations from the group, chaired by St John Constable Graeme Butcher also included that:
• A simple speed limit structure should be introduced to set a maximum Island-wide limit of 40 mph, reduced to 30 mph in built-up areas and roads with no centre line and 20 mph in green lanes, housing estates and residential areas.
• The police motorcycle unit should be reintroduced.
• More ‘smiley/grumpy’ face signs should be installed to alert drivers of their speed.
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The problem with the Green Lane scheme is that no authority polices the roads effectively. They should remain at 15mph, as the costs involved in creating new signs, painting 20 on the roads and the manhours will all be a waste, particularly in the current economic environment when the funds could be used much more wisely. Perhaps the hobby bobbys and the police could work together to ensure that the Green Lane scheme works, rather than binning the idea. Also, a scheme of points will only lead to the insurance firms winning, it will not encourage people to reduce their speeds. I do agree with the speed signs being in place in more areas as these do tend to work rather well. Educating young drivers into the impact they could have on their lives, their families and the families of others due to their wreckless driving is desperately needed. Harsher penalties for excessive speeding is needed, rather than the standard £5/mph over the limit. They should however introduce lower speed limits in and around parks ie St Andrews Park or Milbrook
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On the spot fines for traffic offences work well in the UK and also in many states of the United States.
What would constructively help road safety in Jersey would be strong penalties for using mobile phones while driving.
A serious accident was narrowly avoided this morning when a black Citroen Saxo car pulled out of a side turning while the driver was chatting on his (hand-held) mobile phone.
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I have always thought that there is a better way of showing the speed limits on a small island like jersey that has no motorways.
My Idea would be to make markings on the road indicate the speed limit.
If we marked the road the same way as we do with white lines but different marking would indicate if you were in a 20 30 or 40 MPH speed zone!!
That way you if you were new to an area you would not have to look out for a small road sign that could be hidden behind an over grown hedge….
I am happy for people to tell me I’m mad if this really is an ill conceived idea…
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This is long overdue and would release police officers for other duties. In the U.K. they have camera vans and static cameras to catch people speeding and these are operated and mainatianed by civilian employees.
The photos of offenders are recorded on a DVR system and processed by civilian staff, who send out statutory documentation requiring the registered keeper of a vehicle to name the driver at the time of an offence.
Once that information is received by the authorities, a fixed penalty notice is sent to the offending driver, which must be paid within a specified period. If the fine isn’t paid the offender is taken to Court, in the usual way.
Also if the speed was very high the offender wouldn’t be given a fixed penalty, but would instead be taken to Court.
In all cases offenders get points on their licence and when 12 points are reached offenders are suspended from driving.
It is all wham bang thankyou mam – no messing about with Parish Hall Enquires.
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I agree with much that has been said above.
We need the existing speed limits ENFORCED. How many times have I driven down Mont Felard at the speed limit – 30 and been overtaken, often by people doing more than 40.
We also need a system of points to be totted up leading to a licence being taken away if sufficient points are accumulated.
I see people driving whilst on the phone nearly everytime I am out and about.
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This will release police officers for other duties Hehehehehehehehe!
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so if you have no money to pay on the spot then it will be into clink then?
the smiley faces work.
the 15 mph zones should be 20 and 40 should remain. with the amount of traffic on the road in working hours ,you are going nowhere fast.
mind you half term is a breath of freash air, not so bumper to bumper is it?
extra tax for the motorist so lets whip them some more.
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I would suggest electronic speed limit signs so that they can be changed without so much bother when they need to be. For instance when the weather is particularly bad (i.e. fog or heavy rain) then the limits could easily be reduced temporarily. Plus the speed limits would be easier to see in the dark if they were electronic.
Perhaps cameras could be installed in them to catch anyone who goes more than 5mph over the limit and they could be fined.
This is the 21st century. We do not need more cops or motorbike police just to catch speeders….technology is already available to do this.
As for education drivers…shouldn’t this be the responsibility of the instructors and examiners?? If need be make the test even harder to pass with more emphasis on “what not to do” and it’s consequences. Maybe a temporary licence can be given for a 6 month probationary period on passing and if no incidents occur then they qualify for a full licence otherwise they cannot resit the test for another year or so. This will stop boy racers being irresponsible with their friends as soon as they pass!
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You have to keep the speed limits low as poss because for example, motorists believe that 15mph means they can do 20/22mph, 30mph means they can go 35/40mph and 40 means 50mph! without being stopped by the authorities. By raising the green lane limit to 20mph will give creadence to the motorist to travel up to 30mph!! At the end of the day people will speed as they do txt and talk on the phone without a pause for thought for others! i was overtaken on the 5 mile road friday evening by a flash car that eventually pulled into woolen mills (you know who you are) doing close to a ton!!! what we need is more speed traps, and smily faces etc etc etc… anything that helps ie on the spot fines has to be a way foreward!
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Right let’s really put the cat among the pigeons, hands up all those motorists who have been overtaken by a cyclist in a green lane! how will the police deal with that one?????
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Mr Heath, tell, tell me do how on earth the reintroduction of the police motorcycle unit will help this situation.
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Walk,cycle everywhere…its quicker than the car!!(too much bumper to bumper traffic)…….will there be on the spot penalties if you can walk down a green lane at 11mph …….speed limit is so s…l…o…w over here.
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Green lanes are strange. Cars don’t operate efficiently until approx 35-40MPH, so it’s bad for the environment.
In the case of many cars and most motorbikes, the engine noise at 15MPH is about the same as the engine noise at 30MPH, and until about 30MPH, the engine noise is the most significant contributor to road noise… what 15MPH means is that for any stationary observer, it lasts twice as long.
I prefer it when the motorbikes speed past my window, rather than driving at the limit, because if they drive at the limit it lasts ages.
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They’d better get lots of properly visible speed signs up fast then!
Also, reminder signs, like you get in the UK, so that if you’ve spent many hours in a house somewhere and come out later you don’t have to drive for quite a distance before you get a sign telling you what the speed limit is for that area! Yes, I know you could try and remember it, or plug it into your mobile upon arrival at the house, or whatever, but people will forget!
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Finchos #1
You make an excellent point about the cost of replacing road signs and re-painting the roads which would easily be a six figure sum. They should remain 15mph purely for that reason despite it being a ridiculous speed as it’s neither 1st or 2nd gear thereby encouraging speeding.
Don’t agree with your second point. Given the basis of your argument for the 15mph zones to remain, you could apply that to on the spot fines. These would reduce police, CPS and hobby bobby time in dealing with minor motoring offences reducing admin costs. Centenier times could be put elsewhere reducing the cost to the real police. These on the spot fines could be used to pay for the additional education your rightly suggest.
Mogit #10
Simple – the police will nick the cyclist and either administer on the spot fine or go through the existing prosecution process whereby they’ll receive a fine or even points on their driving licence if they decide to bring that in.
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Whilst I agree with some of what’s being said, I think that on the spot fines probably won’t do much more to deter than being fined through any other medium – you’d have to have two police officers to catch and collar you speeding to issue you with an on the spot fine surely, in case you said they were mistaken, or their speedgun was faulty or what have you … so that’s twice the manpower, which leads to greater costs, plus as people have already said, redoing all the road signs, perhaps installing speed cameras, etc., etc.
And not being funny people but wagging your finger (and I’m addressing this at the States now) at the general public for things like this is absolutely fine, I appreciate the need for there to be road safety just as everybody else does but how do you expect to be taken seriously by the general public when you can’t even keep your OWN house in order ?
Senator Syvret – the Father of the House no less – flouts the law and makes a MOCKERY of the Jersey Judicial system, and yet we’re all supposed to cower under the threat of the lash ?
Take that man to task – if he wants to seek a review of the judicial system, or to challenge the charges against him, then he ought to do so via the appropriate legal framework – not step across the line and blow raspberries at Jersey – an island which pays his WAGE, and which he is supposed to exemplify the highest standards of, as an elected representative of the people. He is making a mockery of the entire system, and he’s not the only States member to be doing so – just the loudest at the moment.
Get your own house in order, and then you will have the respect of those people you have been appointed to serve.
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Do we have a problem with speed related accidents? I don’t believe we do. Why waste time and money on a non issue – sorry my mistake that is the founding principle of the states/senators remit.
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An accident nearly occurred at the bottom of my road the other day – some idiot pulled out without looking both ways. Luckily the two cars just missed each other. I was the person who pulled out. Accidents happen – that is just life.
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