Speed Prevention in the Community

Suffolk, a largely rural county with over 470 villages and only 17 towns, faces significant challenges with speeding, which endangers residents, especially vulnerable road users like pedestrians (particularly children), horse riders, cyclists, and wheelchair/mobility scooter users.

In 2024, speeding contributed to 274 collisions, resulting in 21 fatalities and numerous serious injuries, making it one of the “fatal four” road safety offenses.

Suffolk Roadsafe Partnership

The Suffolk Roadsafe Partnership, comprising Suffolk County Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner, and the Constabulary, works with communities to combat speeding through education, enforcement, and engineering strategies, including:

Download the 2023-24 Speeding Infographic for details on Suffolk Roadsafe’s efforts.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition Camera project (ANPR)

Suffolk County Council in partnership with the Police and Crime Commisionner and the Constabulary (the Suffolk Roadsafe Partnership), will be trialling the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to tackle speeding hot spots across the county.

The pilot which is funded from SCC’s 2020 fund will run for 2 years. The cameras will be used to help detect and deter speeding offences that have been highlighted in towns and villages and educate drivers on the importance of road safety.

For more information download the Suffolk ANPR SID Study Report

For more information download the ANPR guidance

ANPR Privacy Notice [to follow]

Speed Indicator devices (SID) and Temporary VAS

The Partnership supports communities through:

  • Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs): Electronic signs that display a driver’s speed in real-time, flashing warnings like “SLOW DOWN” for speeders or “THANK YOU” for those within limits. Parish councils purchase and operate SIDs, with SCC managing installation.
  • Temporary Vehicle Activated Signs (TVAS): Mobile signs that flash “SLOW DOWN” and the speed limit for speeding vehicles. Provided free to parishes without SIDs.

Note: Permanent solar-panel SIDs are no longer maintained or replaced.

For more information, Working Together To Reduce Speed – August 2025.
Download the latest TVAS_Deployment July-December 2025

Engineering solutions

To reduce speeding, the Council may implement measures like:

  • Entry treatments/gateways
  • Rumble strips
  • Road narrowings
  • Priority systems
  • Carriageway speed limit roundels
  • General signage and road markings
  • Vehicle-activated signs

Funding for these measures depends on accident reduction potential and is prioritized based on injury records and compliance with current standards. Some measures may impact the environment, such as visual clutter or noise.

For more information, contact suffolkroadsafe@suffolkhighways.org.

 

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