Seven more 20mph applications approved as applications top 200 in first year
Abingdon among latest areas to get approval
Abingdon has become the latest major Oxfordshire town to adopt 20mph speed limits in residential areas to create safer, healthier and quieter streets.
It was one of seven communities to have applications for 20mph limits approved by Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highway Management Councillor Andrew Gant and Council Leader Cllr Liz Leffman on 27 April.
The others were Cumnor, Faringdon, Forest Hill, Shrivenham, Steventon and Woodcote.
The latest decisions mean that in the 12 months since the first phase of the council’s £8 million project started:
- 208 communities have applied for 20mph limits
- 72 schemes have been approved
- 53 installations have been completed, including Witney.
The project is being carried out in three phases between 2022-25. Applications for this year are full, but communities can still apply to be included in the final 2024-25 phase.
Bill Cotton, Oxfordshire County Council’s Director of Environment and Place, said: “There is a clear link between the speed of traffic and the likelihood of accidents happening in which people are killed or injured. You are seven times more likely to survive if you are hit by a car driving at 20mph than if you are hit at 30mph.”
The scheme is free to town and parish councils, with the county council funding sign-only changes for areas wishing to be part of the changes as long as locations meet the agreed criteria for 20mph restrictions.
Town and parish councils will be expected to fund any traffic calming measures or speed-activated signs that may be required to support the new limit in their areas.
Applications for 20mph streets and roads need to be supported by the parish or town council and by the relevant local county councillor. More information, including details on how to apply, is available on Oxfordshire County Council’s website.
While the council has been working alongside Thames Valley Police, the emphasis is on drivers adhering to the new limits through a change of mindset, rather than enforcement. It is hoped that as 20mph areas become more common, breaking the limit will become socially unacceptable for drivers.
The 20mph programme also fits in with the council’s Vision Zero policy, which aims to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from Oxfordshire’s roads by 2050.
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