POLICE are under mounting pressure to enforce the proposed new 20mph limits on Oxford’s roads.

Oxfordshire County Council is today set to resolve to make Oxford only the second city in Britain to introduce a 20mph limit on most of its residential roads, after the idea was backed by two-thirds of people in a survey.

And this week, the Government’s Transport Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick, made clear he wants others to follow Oxford’s approach, with the Government now recommending 20mph speed limits “in all streets which are primarily residential in nature”.

But there remains uncertainty about how or if police would enforce a new 20mph limit in the city, and whether the new limit could be backed up with fines and 20mph speed cameras.

The chief constable of Thames Valley Police, Sara Thornton, has previously said the force would follow national police guidelines, which are that forces do not routinely enforce 20mph zones.

However, Thames Valley Police this week confirmed that it had written to the Association of Chief Police Officers calling for these guidlines to be reconsidered.

Police spokesman Rebecca Webber added: “Thames Valley Police has not said it would not enforce the 20mph limit if the limit was being regularly broken. If an officer sees someone breaking the 20mph limit and has proof of the speed being travelled, the officer may deal with that driver appropriately, by either education or enforcement.”

A spokesman for the Department for Transport, Isabel Field, made it clear this week that the Government would expect police backing to curb speeding in 20mph zones. She said: “If a police officer saw someone speeding in a 20mph zone we would expect them to deal with it in a way that they would deal with any other speeding offence.”

Oxfordshire County Council cabinet member for transport, Ian Hudspeth, also challenged the police to fully support County Hall’s plans to extend 20mph zones across much of the city.

Mr Hudspeth said: “It will be interesting to see how the police respond to the Government’s newly announced policies on 20mph speed limits. What the Government has said obviously chimes with what is proposed for Oxford. If this is to become a national trend, then the police might like to reconsider their current position.”

A decision on whether the county council will go ahead with a proposed 20mph limit scheme in Oxford, costing £233,000, will be made later today. A report to Mr Hudspeth from head of transport, Steve Howell, will recommend that it should go ahead.

The County Hall scheme will see vast swathes of the city turned into a 20mph zone. However, the majority of Oxford’s main routes, such as the Botley, Woodstock and Iffley roads, will largely retain 30mph limits and only see speeds reduced in certain sections.

Road safety campaigners had been calling for a blanket 20mph zone across the entire city, however, they have still welcomed the reduced proposals.

Paul Cullen is the founding co-ordinator of Life Begins At 20, which has fought a two-year campaign for the speed limits. He said: “Oxford has a reputation for being ahead of the game on innovative approaches for traffic management, such as the park-and-rides. I think it’s something that Oxford can be proud that it’s bitten the bullet and is prepared to accept the challenge.”

Only 146 people responded to the county council’s formal consultation on the speed limits, fewer than the 574 replies to its informal consultation in October.

North Hinksey and Botley, which had originally been included in the proposals for 20mph speed limits, are set to be omitted as the majority of their residents who replied to the consultation did not back the scheme.