Need for speed?

A group of girls in the Thames Valley campaign to bring road deaths down.

Heart's got hold of figures showing around 10 teenagers EVERY year are being killed in accidents on the Thames Valley's roads.

In 2008 14 fatal crashes involved 13-19 year olds, with that figure dropping to 9 in 2009.

Now a group of schoolgirls from Didcot Girls School in Oxfordshire are campaigning to bring the figures down.

15 year old Rachel Smith, 16 year old Alice Strange and Jasmin Burnage who is 15 want the speed limit reduced on Milton Road in Didcot from the national speed limit to 40mph - where a 19 year old died in a crash last year and two others were injured.

Find out more about their campaign by clicking here

Oxfordshire County Council is set to begin putting in place a number of speed limit changes on selected stretches of road across the county.

More than 60 changes were approved last year after the council conducted a review of the road network to see if current limits were still appropriate and twice consulted local people.

The authority is now planning to implement the first of these from February onwards, beginning with the B4022 between Charlbury and Hailey in West Oxfordshire. A timetable for further stretches of road will follow.

The council has set aside around £240,000 to implement the speed limit changes.

The county council conducts periodic reviews of speed limits because towns and villages change and what may have been a sensible speed limit five or ten years ago may no longer be appropriate.

This work was given extra impetus when the Government asked all local authorities to review speed limits on the 'A' and 'B' road network to make sure that national guidelines are being properly applied taking account of a wide variety of factors including the nature and density of road side development and the accident record of the roads.

The Government wants to see as much national uniformity as possible so that people can anticipate the same kinds of speed limits on similar roads wherever they are driving throughout the country.

The approved changes were the result of extensive technical assessments by council officers following Government guidelines, and lengthy consultation with parish and town councils and the wider public.

Councillor Rodney Rose, Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Transport, said:

"Towns and villages grow and change and what might have been a sensible speed limit to set down five or ten years ago may no longer be appropriate. It is common sense to periodically review these speed limits and the need for a review in Oxfordshire was given extra impetus when the Government asked all local councils to look at all speed limits and try to get some countrywide uniformity in line with the national guidelines. We listened attentively to comments from local parish councils and made changes from our original suggestions. We are now very pleased to be in a position to start putting the new limits into place."

A total of 60 speed limit reductions were approved last year, as well as six increases.

 


The full list of approved changes to speed limits is as follows:


Cherwell  

  • A361 between Bloxham and Banbury - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph.
  • A4260 at the south end of Adderbury - 40mph limit south of the existing 30mph limit to the junction with Berry Hill Road
  • A4260 at the north end of Adderbury - 30mph limit in place of the existing 40mph limit north of the B4100 junction to north of the Twyford Road junction
  • A4260 Kidlington roundabout - reduction from national speed limit to 40mph
  • B430 in the vicinity of RAF Weston on the Green - reduction from national speed limit to 40mph
  • B4027 from Islip to Bletchingdon - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph
  • B4030 at Caulcott - reduction from national speed limit to 40mph
  • B4100 north of the A4095 Lords Lane to north west of the layby at Caversfield - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph
  • B4100 south east of Baynards Green to Stoke Lyne junction - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph
  • A44 between Yarnton and A4260 Loop Farm roundabout - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph
  • B4035 Broughton to Tadmarton - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph
  • B4100 London Road Bicester - extension of 30mph limit to include roundabout junction with Mallards Way
  • A4095 between Kirtlington and Bunkers Hill: consider 50mph limit
  • A44 vicinity of Langford Lane junction: extension of 50mph limit to include Langford Lane junction
  • A423 Southam Road, Banbury - To introduce a 50 mph speed limit on the currently unrestricted road from a point 54m north of its junction with Dukes Meadow Drive, northwards to the county boundary 

Oxford  

  • A40 of Cutteslowe roundabout to just east of the access to Cutteslowe Park - introduction of 50mph limit in place of national speed limit with minor extension of 30mph limit to east of the Cutteslowe roundabout
  • B4150 Marsh Lane - extension of the 30mph limit to include the junction with the slip road to and from the A40 westbound.
  • A40 east of Headington Roundabout - minor extension of the existing 30mph limit to include the junction with Collinwood Road
  • B480 Watlington Road - increase of current 30mph limit to 40mph from 50m south east of Berry Close to south east of Grenoble Road roundabout

South Oxfordshire

  • A329 at Milton Common - increase in current 30mph limit to 40mph
  • A329 in the Cholsey/Moulsford area - reduction from national speed limit to 40mph limit between Cholsey and Moulsford
  • A40 north east of the B4009 - introduction of a 40mph limit to include Butts Way and Lambert Arms
  • A40 at Milton Common - increase in the current 30mph limit to 40mph north east of the A329
  • A4074 at Cane End - a 40mph limit in place of existing 50mph limit and extension of existing 50mph limit northwards to the junction with Exlade Street
  • A4074 in the Benson area - 40mph limit in place of the existing 50mph limit; - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph to extend to the south of new 40mph limit (to just south of the junction with Benson Lane to Crowmarsh)
  • A4074 in Shillingford / Warborough area - 40mph limit from junction with Henley Road (to Dorchester) to approximately 200m north of the Warborough Road junction (existing 30mph limit to be reduced in length to this latter point).
  • A4130 Didcot Northern Perimeter Road - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph
  • A4130 at Bix and Assendon - reduction of existing 50 mph speed limit to 40mph
  • A417 east of Harwell to the county boundary at Streatley - introduction of 50mph limit in place of national speed limit (excepting existing villages where current 30mph limits would remain in place)
  • A418 - introduction of a 50mph limit in place of national speed limit between the A40 and the A329 excluding the existing 30mph limit at Tiddington
  • B4015 - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph between Clifton Hampden and Chiselhampton
  • A415 - Introduction of a 40mph limit replacing part of the existing 30mph speed limit, from a point 200m east of its junction with the B4015 Clifton Hampden, to a point 260m west of its junction with Burcot Park.
  • B4493 between Harwell and Didcot - reduction from national speed limit to 40mph
  • B4493 and the A4130 Didcot - introduction of a 40mph speed limit on the currently unrestricted road from the roundabout junction with Foxhall Road / Station Road, westwards for around 1,000m
  • B480 between Watlington and Cuxham reduction from national speed limit to 50mph limit
  • B480 between Stadhampton and Cuxham reduction from national speed limit to 50mph limit
  • A329 at the southern end of Stadhampton - reduction from national speed limit to 40mph to include outlying properties / junction with Drayton St Leonard road
  • A329 between Warborough and Newington - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph
  • A40 Aston Hill - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph
  • A40 at Postcombe - increase in existing 30mph limit to national speed limit north of built up area
  • B4012 Thame Park Road (south of Wenman Road) - extension of the 30mph speed limit by 170 metres, replacing the existing 50mph speed limit.

Vale of White Horse

  • A338 from the A420 to the start of the 40mph limit at Frilford - introduction of a 50mph limit
  • A338 Manor Road - introduction of 40mph limit southwards from the end of the existing 30mph limit for a distance of 1,600m, then a 50mph limit southwards of this point to the county boundary with West Berkshire.
  • A417 at Buscot - reduction from national speed limit to 40mph
  • A417 Mably Way - reduction from 40mph to a 30mph
  • B4494 south of Wantage - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph
  • Hanney to Steventon Road - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph
  • A4183 Oxford Road (and length of Oxford Road north of the A4183/ A34 junction) - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph
  • B4017 at Henwood - 30mph limit in place of existing 40mph limit
  • B4017 at south end of Cumnor - reduction from national speed limit to 40mph to include the junctions with the slip roads for the A420 Cumnor bypass
  • 

West Oxfordshire

  • A361 and B4026 at the southern end of Chipping Norton - reduction from national speed limit to 40mph to include Greystones and Oldner
  • A4095 at North Leigh - reduction from national speed limit to 40mph
  • A4095 between Clanfield and Faringdon - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph
  • A4095 Curbridge - minor extension to 30mph limit at each end of existing 30mph limit
  • A44 London Road in Chipping Norton east of the existing 40mph limit - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph
  • A44 London Road, Chipping Norton - Extension of the 30mph speed limit eastwards to a point 304 metres east of its junction with Rockhill Farm Court (replacing the existing 40mph buffer limit). Thereafter to introduce a 50 mph speed limit on the currently unrestricted road to its junction with the A3400/A44 at Southcombe.
  • B4020/B4477 Upavon Way, Carterton - increase in existing 30mph limit to 40mph between Faulder Avenue and Alvescot Road
  • B4022 between Charlbury and Hailey - introduction of a 50mph limit with the existing 40mph limit at Finstock to remain
  • B4449 between the A40 Eynsham roundabout and the B4044 roundabout - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph
  • A415 Ducklington Lane Witney - 30mph limit in place of existing 40mph limit between Station Lane and Corn Street roundabouts
  • B4027 at Glympton - introduction of 30mph limit
  • B4047 Burford Road between Witney and Minster Lovell - 40mph between Dry Lane and Tower Hill (involving shortening length of existing 30mph limit at E end)
  • B4437 at the eastern end of Charlbury - minor extension of 30mph limit
  • B4449 at eastern end of Bampton - minor extension to 30 limit
  • B4450 Chipping Norton to Churchill - reduction from national speed limit to 50mph