A MAN has called for road safety managers to switch on a speed camera in Oxford on a more regular basis to protect people from dangerous drivers.

Only ten per cent of the 74 speed camera sites in the county are 'live' at any time, with Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership rotating the cameras around the sites.

Mick Boodell, 71, who lives in Rose Hill, has called for action after a motorcyclist and his passenger were taken to hospital suffering serious leg injuries following a collision.

The motorcycle was involved in the collision with a bus and a Peugeot 206 in Rose Hill, near Orchard Court and Rose Hill Methodist Church, at about 1.15pm on Wednesday. No one in the bus or car was injured.

Mr Boodell said: "It looked like a serious crash and I was worried someone had died.

"I have no idea if speed was a factor in that accident or who was to blame, but motorbikes and other vehicles frequently do 50-60mph coming up the hill.

"Residents from the Singletree nursing home live on Rose Hill and I am worried someone will be killed if more is not done to get drivers to reduce speeds.

"I used to be an ambulance driver, so I am used to judging speeds and the traffic going uphill is definitely breaking the speed limit.

"The speed camera is near my house and I can see the flash from my window - but it hardly ever seems to do it.

"I'm not convinced the one here is properly activated and vulnerable old people are at risk."

Dan Campsall, a spokesman for the Thames Safer Roads Partnership, which operates speed cameras in the Thames Valley, said: "The camera at Rose Hill was installed in July 1995 and in the three years before the camera was erected there had been 18 injury collisions of which three involved people being killed or seriously injured.

"In the last three years there have only been eight collisions, none of which were serious in nature (excluding the accident on Wednesday).

"The camera is only active heading northwest - downhill towards the Iffley Road.

"Its location on that side of the road would not allow it to be used to monitor traffic going up the hill.

"There does not seem to be a history of collisions involving traffic heading uphill.

"The traffic heading in a north-westerly direction poses the greater danger.

"The camera site is active and has been loaded regularly during 2007."