Dozens of 30mph roads are set to be lowered to 20mph by the county council this year, in an attempt to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians.

The plans for Witney were approved by Oxfordshire County Council’s leader, Liz Leffman, at a meeting on Thursday morning (July 21).

The changes are expected to be implemented and new signs installed later this year.

READ MORE: Thames Valley Police interview five after suspected arson

Oxford Mail: A map of the changes shared at the council meeting. Picture: Oxfordshire County CouncilA map of the changes shared at the council meeting. Picture: Oxfordshire County Council

Andrew Gant, the council’s cabinet member for highway management, said: “This is a landmark moment for our ambitious 20mph policy, which we are spending up to £8 million on over a three-year period.

“Witney is the first and the biggest project we are undertaking in this phase of the programme and we believe these changes will make the town a safer, quieter, and less polluted place and will encourage more people to cycle and walk – reducing the county’s carbon footprint.”

“Witney is just the start, and more than 70 other towns and villages will be benefiting from reduced speeds in the next financial year – followed by hundreds more in the next two years.

Oxford Mail: Dozens of roads will become 20mph zonesDozens of roads will become 20mph zones

“The recent decision in Wales shows that 20mph is becoming the accepted speed limit for residential areas, and Oxfordshire County Council is at the forefront of bringing about that change.

“It is well-known that the survival rate for people involved in accidents increases as speeds are reduced.”

All the roads that will become 20mph:

Made with Flourish

The changes, which had the backing of West Oxfordshire District Council as well as Witney Town Council, will also involve the reduction of some speed limits from 50mph to 40mph, and from 40mph to 30mph around the town.

Read more from this author

This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.

You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry

A message from our Editor

Thank you for reading this story and supporting the Oxford Mail.

If you like what we do please consider getting a subscription for the Oxford Mail and in return we’ll give you unrestricted access with less adverts across our website from the latest news, investigations, features, and sport.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok for more. 

You can also join the conversation in our Facebook groups: stay ahead of traffic alerts here, keep up to date with the latest from court here, share your favourite memories of Oxford here, get your daily dose of celebrity news here and take some time out with news that will make you smile. 

If you’ve got a story for our reporters, send us your news here. You can also list an event for free here.