Oxfordshire council withholds 'vital' information amid 20mph

Oxfordshire County Council normally publishes its road casualty report every year but for reasons the council has explained as "reviewing the content", it is yet to publish any yearly analysis since 2021.

This comes as there was an increase in the number of road casualties by around 13 per cent for 2022 from the year previous - though this dropped again by around 13 per cent in 2023 and some have suggested the rise is not surprising given the lingering effects of the pandemic.

20mph. (Image: Ed Nix.)

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Since the new Liberal Democrat and Green administration (and at the time Labour) came to power in 2021, they have set out policies aimed at encouraging healthier travel and reducing road deaths, though these have sometimes been blamed for making it more difficult to get around.

Councillor Eddie Reeves, leader of the Conservatives on the county, said: "Why County Hall has ostensibly withheld publication of such data like a vital road casualty report, is beyond me."

Councillor Eddie Reeves. (Image: Cherwell District Council.)

He added in relation to road casualty statistics there are "serious questions" about whether 20mph zones are "even enforceable" and "the emerging data on traffic accidents suggests little, if any, positive impact".

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesman says it is "not logical" to link yearly results directly to policies on 20mph limits and Vision Zero when there is a "lag in the availability of data" and "both policies are still fairly new and still very much being rolled out".

They added: "While we have the data for both 2022 and 2023, we are reviewing the content and format of these reports to make them considerably more useful and focused with regards to the Vision Zero programme. We hope to complete this in the next few months."

County hall. (Image: Ed Nix.)

The council also says on its website: "Research by the UK Transport Research Laboratory has shown that every 1mph reduction in average urban speeds can result in a six percent fall in the number of casualties."

Cabinet member for transport management Andrew Gant said: "The figures for those killed or seriously injured on our roads shows that we are right to focus our efforts on policies within our capability to try to address and eliminate them.”

Andrew Gant. (Image: Oxfordshire County Council.)

Green county councillor Robin Bennett was supportive of 20mph but he added: "My main concern is for known dangerous stretches such as the A4074 Dorchester bypass to be looked at urgently, including consideration of a safer road design."

This comes as some have accused the council of focussing on 20mph as it is apparently a more marketable policy.

Robin Bennett. (Image: Robin Bennett)

There are reports that Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber has also been suggesting the council ought to publish the road casualty report, which Mr Barber did not dispute when we put to him.

Conservative councillor Liam Walker added: "They might have set the ambitious target of zero road deaths in Oxfordshire but they need to be transparent in ensuring this data is available to the public."

Liam Walker. (Image: West Oxfordshire District Council.)

But Robin Tucker, co-chairman of the Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel (CoHSAT) said: "To achieve a reduction in casualties in 2023 when traffic increased two per cent looks significant. This is still early days for the County Council's Vision Zero strategy."

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About the author

Noor is the Local Democracy Reporter for Oxfordshire who covers political stories from across the county. 

She began working as a journalist in Oxford in September 2023 having graduated from the University of Oxford.

Noor was trained at the News Associates journalism school and can be found on X through the handle @NoorJQurashi