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e. Speed limit enforcement (incl. Vehicular-activated speed signs)

Last updated: 25 February 2025 at 10:15:27 UTC by Sophie Brouillet

Excessive speeding and dangerous driving are major safety concerns, particularly in residential areas and near schools. Parish and town councils play a key role in reducing accidents, fatalities, and noise pollution by enforcing speed limits and promoting safer driving. Effective speed management creates a calmer environment, reduces stress, and lowers the burden on emergency services.


Councils can collaborate with local authorities and police to enforce speed limits, advocate for lower speed limits in high-risk areas, and support initiatives like Community Speedwatch programs. They can also run awareness campaigns, engage with local schools and businesses, and set up reporting systems for dangerous driving. By monitoring trends and working with law enforcement, councils can help improve community safety and quality of life.


  • Vehicular-activated speed signs

Local councils sometimes consider providing vehicular activated speed signs (VAS) under the power to prevent crime. It is our view that this power does not cover the provision of such signs as speeding is normally dealt with by a fixed penalty notice which is not a criminal sanction and the display of a speed is not a deterrent.


The general power of competence will not assist local councils as it is a power that enables a local authority to do anything individuals generally may do, and individuals cannot provide speed signs. However, a local council with the general power of competence can make a contribution to the highway authority towards the cost of speed signs because any individual could do that.

In the absence of a specific power, Section 137(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 specifically allows a council to contribute towards the costs of another local authority’s functions. Therefore, a contribution could be made to a highway authority’s costs in respect of such speed signs. The same goes for the power of wellbeing in Wales, which of course is subject to the section 137 spending limits.

Another possibility would be for a highway authority to delegate its function to a local under section 101 of the 1972 Act.


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