Critics have expressed anger about a body that decides whether speed limits on Devon roads should be reduced because of their claim the process is “secret”.

Various members of Devon County Council have expressed dismay at the unelected SCARF committee deciding whether to reduce speed limits on roads or not.

“I do have concerns about the SCARF process and the level of democratic scrutiny and involvement of local members in decisions around road safety intervention,” said Councillor Frank Biederman (Liberal Democrat, Fremington Rural).

SCARF – or Speed Compliance Action Review Forum – sees Devon County Council and Devon & Cornwall Police come together to assess speed concerns.

Concerns raised to the body are assessed, but not all result in a speed limit being reduced.

Cllr Biederman has pushed for the county council to “urgently review” a decision to hold the speed limit at 40mph on the B3233 between Fremington and Instow in north Devon, claiming that the significant volume of traffic on it is negatively impacting the lives of residents.

“The reality is that in Yelland, it has grown so much with significant [housing] development – upwards of 1,000 homes – and the number of car movements that creates is huge,” Cllr Biederman said.

“Every door I knock on in Yelland, the residents tell me they fear crossing the road. They have to stand there forever for an opportunity to cross, but with the size of vehicles, too, they fear leaving their homes and they are becoming socially isolated.”

He added he was “fed up” with SCARF because it seemed to be a “blockage to getting anything done in our communities”.

Fellow member, Councillor Alan Connett (Liberal Democrat, Exminster & Haldon) asked for more transparency about the SCARF committee and process.

“I ask the highways cabinet member [Councillor Dan Thomas] whether he agrees that we need to pull the curtain back and let light into the secret process of SCARF meetings, and to have them in the diary so local members are informed about when they are happening,” he said at Devon’s full council earlier this month.

Cllr Thomas acknowledged the frustration, but noted there were difficulties with creating a prospective calendar for the meeting, because operational pressures on the police meant they often had to be reorganised.

Cllr Thomas said he would discuss the issue further with Cllr Connett “on a way forward that allows democracy in”.

Another North Devon member, Councillor Ed Tyldesley (Liberal Democrat, Chulmleigh & Landkey), also complained about SCARF.

“I appreciate SCARF is data-led, but the experience of living by a road is not exclusively about data, but about feelings too, and we as councillors would like to provide the local feelings about how a road is experienced by residents,” he said.

SCARF states on the Devon County Council website, that its speed analysis looks at the mean or average speed and the 85th percentile speed – meaning the speed at which 85 per cent of drivers travel at or below – to determine if there is a speeding issue. 

For example, in a 30mph speed limit, a mean speed of 30mph would normally be expected to have an 85th percentile speed of no greater than 35mph. 

It explains the five potential outcomes, ranging from a ‘Level 0’ – which is no action – to ‘Level 4’ – which would see mobile camera enforcement or an engineered solution to the road.