Speed monitoring, A7 Stow

2024398

08/04/2024

EIR

Against the backdrop of SBC changing the speed limit in the northern part of Stow recently from 20mph to 30mph, SBC Councillors have confirmed that traffic speeds are being monitored on this section of the A7 in Stow as part of an 18 month trial. I would like to ask the following questions under the terms of the FOI Act: 1. What data will be gathered on traffic speeds in Stow as part of this 18 month trial?
2. Who (i.e. what third party) will be gathering this data, if not SBC staff?
3. How often will this data be reported to a) SBC Councillors? and b) the public?
4. Since 1 April 2024, what data has been gathered on traffic speeds on this section of the A7 in Stow?
5. Please send a copy of all information communicated by SBC officer Philippa Gilhooley to SBC councillors (including emails, texts, WhatsApp messages, reports or meeting notes) regarding the speed limit change from 20mph to 30mph in the northern end of Stow, sent between 1 September 2023 and 8 April 2024.
6. How many complaints have been received from members of the public about traffic speeds, or dangerous driving, on the A7 in Stow between 1 April 2023 and 8 April 2024? 7. Has Scottish Borders Council formally ruled out supporting a system of Average Speed Cameras for the A7 in Stow?
8. What consideration has been given by SBC to supporting a system of Average Speed Cameras for the A7 in Stow?
9. On what date did Police Scotland inform SBC that its citizen speed monitoring initiative envisaged for Stow (and much talked about by SBC Councillors - it has a specific name I cannot recall) did not have enough volunteers to proceed?
10. What reasons has Police Scotland given to SBC for not monitoring traffic speeds on the A7 in Stow more frequently?
11. Does Scottish Borders Council recognise a speeding problem on the A7 in Stow?
12. If the answer to question 11 is not "no", what is SBC doing to reduce traffic speeds on the A7 in Stow, particularly in the northern end of the village? N.B. I am asking about actions to reduce speeding traffic, not just to monitor it.

1.Traffic surveys will be conducted in September 2024 and then again in April 2025. This will have allowed drivers sufficient time to adapt and see what new habits have formed 2. Tracsis
3.Once the survey data is returned to SBC it will be emailed to councillors and the community council for distribution throughout the community
4.The Council has not arranged any traffic surveys in Stow since the 1 April, data will be collected in September to give drivers time to adjust to the new speed limits.
5. Emails attached. The Officer does not use WhatsApp or texts for work purposes. Emails attached
6. No records of any specific complaints from the public. Generic concerns raised by Councillors and Community Council that can be seen in email trails provided.
7. SBC have not been asked by Police Scotland for a view on this and at this time there is not an official view by SBC on average speed cameras on the A7 in Stow.
8.This is not a decision for SBC and would be for Police Scotland to decide.
9. The Officer was not aware of this, so does not have any information. The Officer was not part of the conversation about Community Speedwatch. Community Safety department may be able to provide more information on Community Speedwatch or Police Scotland.
10.From what I gather the Police Scotland position is that they will only enforce 20mph outside schools or locations with a history of casualties. I cannot respond on behalf of Police Scotland for their decision making and policies and any questions relating to the A7 in Stow when it comes to resource deployment as this is an operational decision for Police Scotland. SBC has asked the Camera Unit from Police Scotland to consider the re-deployment of the safety camera at the north end of Stow since the reintroduction of the 30mph scheme.
11. Like in many communities across the country there are unfortunately some drivers who do not adhere to the posted speed limit when driving through Stow.
12.The Council has introduced a series of buffer speed limits, various signing schemes, lining, a build out for pedestrians, puffin crossing, narrowed junctions, formalised parking and electronic signing with the aim of trying to positively influence driver behaviour. As the road through Stow is an A class road traffic calming such as speed humps and chicanes are not appropriate
There has been redaction carried out on the attached file, this is personal information which is exempt from release under regulation 11(2) of EI(S)R 2004. There is also some information redacted from pages 1,2 and 4 of the PDF document, this information falls out with the scope of your request and is therefore removed from the response.

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Speed monitoring, A7 Stow - Freedom of information requests