MORE than 300 people have urged Oxfordshire County Council to reconsider closing roads in Oxford to stop rat-running.

Members of the Highfield Residents' Association in Headington have so far got 350 signatures - two-thirds of the households in the area - backing a petition.

People in the area, which includes Lime Walk, Stapleton Road, Bickerton Road and Latimer Road, are frustrated with a "constant stream of rat-runners".

Residents' association chairman Patrick Coulter said they launched the petition after transport bosses told them earlier this year that road closures were not a viable solution.

Mr Coulter said: "We feel the county council has been very negative about our concerns.

"Their own figures have shown that 70 per cent of the traffic is through traffic with people cutting between Old Road and London Road - we shouldn't have to put up with this much."

Members of the residents' association met Ian Hudspeth, the council's cabinet member for transport, in January.

While Mr Hudspeth offered measures to address speed on the roads, nothing was put forward to tackle the volume of traffic and residents now hope the petition will force the county council to act.

At the time, it was said closing roads to prevent rat-running would affect ambulances from the nearby Churchill Hospital. Mr Coulter said: "We feel the ambulance service and the county council needs to be challenged on this, and would welcome the opportunity to sit down and speak with them.

"What we have suggested is putting in the same type of bollards used in the city centre that emergency service vehicles can activate.

"We're not saying we have the ideal solution, we just want the county council to at least explore the possibility of doing something to reduce the impact the traffic is having on our comm- unity."

Mr Hudspeth said: "We have spent a great deal of time discussing traffic management with residents.

"Since January we have met residents twice and written a number of lengthy letters.

"We have listened to what residents have had to say, considered the potential benefits as well as the problems, and concluded that road closures would not be suitable.

"Although they could bring benefits to Highfield residents, they would have a significant knock-on effect on other nearby residential roads."