I spend most weekends during the summer in Portsmouth where they have 20mph speed limits through out the city, on all roads other than main trunk routes. What agreat and safe place to be as a pedestrian, cyclist and motorist. Yes please for Oxford.

Quote "Among those backing the scheme is 20-year-old Emma Dibdin, from Headington.She was seriously injured when hit by a car in Headley Way six years ago - an accident which was not the driver's fault" Therefore it was her own fault and because of her stupidity the speed limit to be lowered.

Before going down the route of adding even more visual clutter to the streets of Oxford, perhaps it would be a good idea to let people know what the average speed of traffic on the relevant roads actually is.

Where the average speed is 24mph or under, then there is absolutely no value in undertaking the work at all.

*24mph is derived from the generally understood police interest level of speedlimit + 10% + 2mph.

How is it proposed that this limit will be enforced? Without enforcement it's just posturing and an expensive waste of time.

These local residents might like the idea of a 20mph limit on their streets but they won't be so keen on obeying one when they're driving elsewhere, and bus passengers are going to get pretty fed up too.

Homer Simpson wrote:
Quote "Among those backing the scheme is 20-year-old Emma Dibdin, from Headington.She was seriously injured when hit by a car in Headley Way six years ago - an accident which was not the driver's fault" Therefore it was her own fault and because of her stupidity the speed limit to be lowered.

Yes, that's the point. People make mistakes. If a mistake happens at 30 you will probably kill them.

If a mistake is made at 20mph there is a good chance of survival, or even being able to avoid an accident in the first place.

If someone is at fault that does not mean they deserve to die or be seriously injured.

I know! - let's bring back the man with the red flag.

To me, this looks like another attempt to reduce the number of vehicles in the centre of oxford. Why not reduce the bus fares in Oxford? It costs more than travelling across London on the bus than travelling two stops in Oxford. I walk to work in Oxford, so whatever they do will not really affect me. My views are mainly based upon where the councils in Oxford have reduced speed limits without a clear understanding of the affect (for example, reducing a 40mph zone down to 30 where you have a field on one side and a low density of population on the other - people just ignore it).

Why should the majority of council tax payers have to pay for a scheme that will only benefit a minority especially in the present credit crunch when the £300,000 to be spent could be used to reduce council tax for every one or be used for much more needed services than this one.

No doubt a lot of the minority who selfishly want this will still rat run and speed through every
where else in the county as it suits them. If house holders want to live in a place where it will inconvenience every one else by slowing up people trying to get to or from work - delivery and taxi drivers trying to be on time and people trying to get to and enjoy their hard earned leisure pursuits with out getting stuck in another Oxford traffic jam let these house holders go and live on a private estate in the middle of no where.

As for the councillor Ian Hudspeth - he just wants to go down in the history books as being
the first person in the UK to introduce a city wide 20 m.p.h speed limit which the majority
of Oxfordshire council tax payers don’t want.

Lets face it here,it is the NIMBYS and cyclists (often the same beast)that are pushing this.


A laughable incident last week for me was....

Driving at 15MPH along Quarry Road...a cyclist saw me coming along legally......he then walked out in front of me to cross the road while trying to get on his bike!......and then had the cheek to give me a hand gesture to tell me to slow down!!!!

Even though i was well under the speed limit!


Surely this reflects the mentality of the NIMBY, allotment visitor, wooly hat ,cyclists of Oxford.


He had done wrong (walking/cycling out in front of a car.....)and then tries to say it is my fault.



I now have a zero tolerance for these cretins.


They get nothing including courtesy.

Bob, surely in this context NIMBY applies to you?

It's because people drive with zero tolerance that we need to have a blanked 20mph limit.

I would tentatively support it in appropriate areas such as near schools and parks where there are likely to be a lot of children around. There are some roads such as Grenoble Road where it has been proposed and it's just inappropriate. It would be unnecessary on that road and widely ignored.
Unfortunately the County Council seem to go for headline grabbing gimmicks such as a blanket 20mph limit rather than taking a more sensible approach. Such as increasing the size of the park and ride car parks to accomodate all who wish to use them, reduce the cost of public transport within the regionm work on removing bottlenecks on the roads etc. Not headline grabbing I know but honest work that would help the residents of Oxfordshire with their daily commute.

Flo wrote:
Bob, surely in this context NIMBY applies to you? It\'s because people drive with zero tolerance that we need to have a blanked 20mph limit.

Last time i checked it was against the law to knowing walk out in front of a moving motor vehicle.


So this was my fault? and 20mph linit would help how?.


"It's because people drive with zero tolerance that we need to have a blanked 20mph limit."

You have clearly identified what you mental age is with that comment.


So bringing down the limit to 20mph is going to stop retarded Oxford folk from walking out onto the road?.

I personally do not care if i hit a retard at 20 or 30 mph.


They walk out in front of me they deserve it if i cannot stop in time.


Oxford is full of car-hating NIMBYS who are so stupid they have mistakenly married their own sisters.

I similarly urge the largely silent majority of Oxford residents who have to travel in and around the city to oppose the anti- car hysteria of a handful of NIMBY's, self- publicists and anti- everything Marxists who would have us living in a pre- industrial feudal society on no evidence other than their own 'strong feeling' that we should do everything in our power to oppose the 'evil' of progress.

40,000 people commute into Oxford every day- an incredible number until you consider that there are 30,000 students in Oxford- most of whom live within the ring road.

The vast majority of people simply want to go about their business, and to do so safely- as the recent Police speed checks around Cowley showed, with a tiny minority exceeding the speed limit.

They are not 'rat runner'; they are not 'gas guzzlers'- they are simply people forced to live outside of Oxford due to the exhorbitant cost of housing, fuelled by student expansion and rich NIMBY's colonising entire areas. New housing in Oxfordshire has been in the form of facility and employment -less car commuter estates, giving residents no choice other than to drive.

Mark my words- the people behind this plans are simply anti- car, and want other people to stop driving down 'their' roads and masquerade behind the Politically Correct bastions of 'Health and Safety' or 'The Environment'- the mere mention of which are enough to over- ride any objection or need for rational, evidence based discussion.

Bob wrote:

Flo wrote: Bob, surely in this context NIMBY applies to you? It\'s because people drive with zero tolerance that we need to have a blanked 20mph limit.

Last time i checked it was against the law to knowing walk out in front of a moving motor vehicle. So this was my fault? and 20mph linit would help how?. "It's because people drive with zero tolerance that we need to have a blanked 20mph limit." You have clearly identified what you mental age is with that comment. So bringing down the limit to 20mph is going to stop retarded Oxford folk from walking out onto the road?. I personally do not care if i hit a retard at 20 or 30 mph. They walk out in front of me they deserve it if i cannot stop in time. Oxford is full of car-hating NIMBYS who are so stupid they have mistakenly married their own sisters.

You were in a car.

A cyclist is saving the planet; tackling obesity; preventing the exploitation of poor people in poor oil producing Countries and for all we know promoting the rights of gay 'otherwise enabled' Kabbalah following polar bears.

Ergo, you were in the wrong.

Common sense and the Law of the Land have no place in challenging the sanctimonious zealots.

eveidence...

and that from a man that mocks my typos...

Arbitrary or what?...i can see Alan going to live in Holland.

Alan Page of GUILDFORD manages to slip in his FIFTH recent use of an outdated and offensive racist term (and- indeed- the ONLY times I've seen the term used here or on any newspaper forum) in a story about traffic speeds.

But hey folks- relax- Alan's being IRONIC so he can say naughty words without taking any responsibility for them.

Full marks must also go to Alan for once again mentioning his Chosen Specialist Subject (paedophillia/ legal sex with children)in the context of a local news story entirely unrelated to this issue.

Sadly, after a lengthy consultation, I have had to deduct marks for Alan failing to mention the word 'bourgois' or 'Junkie'.

I am sure that both ommissions ar an oversight on Mr Page's part and regular readers can rest assured that he will be covering all these points in a forthcoming story about an injured tortoise being fitted with lego wheels by his inventive schoolboy owner.

Well I'm an Oxford resident, I don't have children, I do commute by car, but YES, I do support this 20mph limit on suitable roads i.e. residential streets and particularly areas with schools/nurseries.

So all those harping on about NIMBYs, you're barking up the wrong tree this time!

I do think they should get rid of the 50mph limit round Cowley ringroad though and put it back to 70mph, and instead have the 50mph limit between Heyford Hill roundabout and Abingdon Road roundabout where most the accidents do seem to occur!

When will the 'authorities' (a term used advisedly) grasp that putting ever-lower numbers on signs at the side of the road will not discourage 'speeding'.
If current speed limits were policed and enforced there would be no need for this absurd plan.
We can safely assume drivers of HGV's, PSV's, white vans, taxis etc will be exempt from the 20mph limit anyway - as they apparently are on the Cowley Road now...

I live on a street with a 20mph limit but it's totally ignored by the majority of drivers. I've never seen the limit being enforced, in fact some of the main culprits are the fuzz.

In theory I support the idea of a 20mph limit on CERTAIN road (not ALL roads), but the fact is it will be a total waste of time and money.

what is the average speed of traffic in oxford? if anyone can be bothered to check, it may well be lower than you think. nearer 20 than 30 methinks. buses have a voluntary 20 limit in the city anyway(magdalen bg to station, folly bg to st giles). a 20 limit on most roads would be acceptable to most, i would think.

yet another way to waste tax payers money!!

totally uneccessary!!

Jay wrote:
Well I'm an Oxford resident, I don't have children, I do commute by car, but YES, I do support this 20mph limit on suitable roads i.e. residential streets and particularly areas with schools/nurseries. So all those harping on about NIMBYs, you're barking up the wrong tree this time! I do think they should get rid of the 50mph limit round Cowley ringroad though and put it back to 70mph, and instead have the 50mph limit between Heyford Hill roundabout and Abingdon Road roundabout where most the accidents do seem to occur!

Yes- but the point is that this ludicrous limit will be imposed on ALL residential streets except a few 'arterial' roads- Banbury and Woodstsock Roads and Marston Ferry Road (strange- all in North Oxford... can't be inconveniencing the rich folks...)and (NuLabour, Jericho dwelling, Oxford University educated, allotment grower Lord Mayor Susanna Pressel says even these draconian proposals 'wouldn't go far enough'.

Excluding a number of young, naive students who have no experience of the real World and will b*gger off to other cities where they can drive their company car to their multinational corporation graduate job in a few years time, the people behind this proposal are the usual suspects behind most of the guff trotted out by NuLabour and their self- appointed army of hand wringers, 'community spokespeople' and other failed Stasi- applicants: Wealthy middle class (mainly) white people who have enjoyed all the benefits of a good education in a capitalist liberal democracy, and are now hell- bent on denying those rewards to anyone else.

If they are that concerned about traffic, s*d off to the Countryside.

Oh hang on- they can't do that because the Tory run County wards wouldn't entertain this sort of nonsense.

When EVIDENCE can be produced to show that a 20mph limit would benefit THE MAJORITY then fine- that's how a democracy works- not being held to ransom by a tiny but vocal minority with a catchy name and slogan.

I hope that you all will be attending the meeting to put forward your clear and concise opinions on the new speed limit, and hope that you are not all laughed out of the meeting by those who have a slightly firmer grip on reality.

This edition of Sesame Street was bought to you by the words: "car-hater", "bourgois" and the number 20.

20Mph, great idea, NOT! It would however be a great way of increasing fuel consumption, and increasing the wear on car engines.
I have a better solution, bring back free eye tests, and reintroduce the green cross code and the tufty club.
I'm approaching 45, and dispite having lived in numerous countries around the world, where driving standards vary enormously,I am yet to be run over - because I look where I am going.
Furthermore, if you can't see a half ton lump of metal approaching you at any speed, you shouldn't be allowed out unsupervised.

Gary wrote:
I would tentatively support it in appropriate areas such as near schools and parks where there are likely to be a lot of children around. There are some roads such as Grenoble Road where it has been proposed and it\'s just inappropriate. It would be unnecessary on that road and widely ignored. Unfortunately the County Council seem to go for headline grabbing gimmicks such as a blanket 20mph limit rather than taking a more sensible approach. Such as increasing the size of the park and ride car parks to accomodate all who wish to use them, reduce the cost of public transport within the regionm work on removing bottlenecks on the roads etc. Not headline grabbing I know but honest work that would help the residents of Oxfordshire with their daily commute.

So there are attempts to reduce the speed on Grenoble Road again...

It was reduced to 30mph around 6-8 years ago and following a large number of complaints from the local residents was returned to 40mph.

Most of the residential streets in G Leys are restricted to 20mph. The original design of the streets with pinch-points and road humps as well as parked cars make it practically impossible to exceed 15mph so it is quite academic really.

Phil wrote:

Homer Simpson wrote: Quote "Among those backing the scheme is 20-year-old Emma Dibdin, from Headington.She was seriously injured when hit by a car in Headley Way six years ago - an accident which was not the driver's fault" Therefore it was her own fault and because of her stupidity the speed limit to be lowered.

Yes, that's the point. People make mistakes. If a mistake happens at 30 you will probably kill them. If a mistake is made at 20mph there is a good chance of survival, or even being able to avoid an accident in the first place. If someone is at fault that does not mean they deserve to die or be seriously injured.

Up the limit to unlimited - then stupid pedestrains would be weeded out - survival of the fitest and the brightest - ask Prof Dawkin .

Of course its just another example of the Nanny Police fascist state - they are only interested in the fines it will bring in - Roads are for cars

Bob wrote:
Lets face it here,it is the NIMBYS and cyclists (often the same beast)that are pushing this. A laughable incident last week for me was.... Driving at 15MPH along Quarry Road...a cyclist saw me coming along legally......he then walked out in front of me to cross the road while trying to get on his bike!......and then had the cheek to give me a hand gesture to tell me to slow down!!!! Even though i was well under the speed limit! Surely this reflects the mentality of the NIMBY, allotment visitor, wooly hat ,cyclists of Oxford. He had done wrong (walking/cycling out in front of a car.....)and then tries to say it is my fault. I now have a zero tolerance for these cretins. They get nothing including courtesy.

Should have run the C**t down that would have telt him

I spend all of my time in Oxford driving at 20 mph - or less! - behind a load of idiot yokels who can't find the accelarator pedal. I don't see that there would be any difference.

Alan Page wrote:
I spend all of my time in Oxford driving at 20 mph - or less! - behind a load of idiot yokels who can't find the accelarator pedal. I don't see that there would be any difference.

Kerb Crawling no doubt - waiting for those little kids with your camera at the ready - Perv

H. Himler wrote:

Alan Page wrote: I spend all of my time in Oxford driving at 20 mph - or less! - behind a load of idiot yokels who can't find the accelarator pedal. I don't see that there would be any difference.

Kerb Crawling no doubt - waiting for those little kids with your camera at the ready - Perv

Alan i did tell you nobody likes you?,


Believe me now?

I am sick to death of hippy tree-hugging council members proposing stupid ideas like this speed limit.
For a start the voting in this consultation should be weighted in favour of car owners as they provide the majority of funding for the roads.
Secondly: a few years back there was a major accident on the Eastern Bypass near the Cowley BMW plant. As a result the seed lmit was reduced to 50mph. The accident was caused by a woman driving illegally - with more children in the car than could be safely carried and with some of them not wearing seatbelts or in child seats. The response to this accident should have been a driver educational program not another speed trap.
Thirdly: Any proposal to spend any money on changing road use should not be voted upon until there is not a single pot hole
I have two separate proposals that I would like the public to vote on
One: Ban Oxford City and County Council members from making stupid proposals until their final salary pension scheme is no longer funded by our council tax.
Two: Reduce traffic and increase safety by encouraging anyone that is not employed from being on the road at peak periods. Most kids should be able to get themselves to work and if you're unemployed you have all day to do what you need and don't need to be on the road at peak time.