Parents have come up with a package of proposals aimed at making journeys to school much safer for their children.

They are being backed by the governors of West Oxford Primary School who claimed earlier this year that workers on the local Osney Mead industrial estate were putting youngsters' lives at risk.

A questionnaire given to parents revealed road safety was uppermost in their minds, and when the local beat officer carried out speed checks in Ferry Hinksey Road, he 'clocked' 240 vehicles breaking the speed limit in just 50 minutes.

As a result, governors wrote to firms on the estate - including Newsquest (Oxfordshire) Ltd, which publishes the Oxford Mail - asking them to treat the road with more respect. When the new term begins, parents, governors and councillors will meet to discuss ways of combating the problem.

County council officers have drawn up several ideas - including a 20mph limit, installing a speed camera and asking parents and estate workers not to bring their cars in.

Athene Reiss, the chairman of school governors, said they had been "very disappointed" with the lack of response from firms.

She said the school had been included in the county's programme for safety improvements, but added it would be October or November before they learned how much cash help was available.

"It's a very slow process, and it's very frustrating for those involved," she said.

"They came along to see the school and the problems we face, and were very surprised at the amount of traffic we have, as on the map, it just looks like a little road off the Botley Road."