POLICE and parish councillors have carried out their first speed monitoring event on Oxford’s largest estate to ensure that drivers obey new 20mph speed limits.

Two PCSOs carried out the monitoring in Blackbird Leys a week after councillors complained to Stagecoach and Oxford Bus Company that their drivers were ‘endangering residents’ lives’ by exceeding 20mph.

During the hour-long exercise with a radar-activated electronic sign in Field Avenue, no bus drivers were caught breaking the limit. Parish council chairman Gordon Roper hailed it a success.

Following the event, Mr Roper said councillors and police would go out with speed guns in future, choosing different locations to make sure drivers continued to obey the limit.

Mr Roper said: “All the buses were doing between 16 to 18mph.

“I think the sign helped make people more aware it’s a 20mph zone.

“It was effective as all motorists slowed down when they saw the sign.

“We will conduct another exercise in two or three weeks’ time, but we’ll do it with speed guns next time and move about the estate in different places.

“It will make a difference in the future. Drivers never know when we’ll be springing up again.

“It helps pedestrians and families with children walking about who want to cross the road to know that drivers will only be going at 20mph.”

The new speed limit was rolled out across all city residential roads and some of Oxford’s arterial routes in September 2009 as part of a £300,000 Oxfordshire County Council safety scheme.

Stagecoach spokesman Chris Child said: “All our drivers are highly trained professionals and these are the high standards that we would expect them to deliver.”

Oxford Bus Company operations director Louisa Weeks said: “We are pleased but not surprised the checks showed our drivers were well under the speed limit.

“We expect the highest standards from our drivers and the findings of the police and parish council survey are very much in line with our own regular monitoring.”