20mph scheme

Reducing the speed on our village roads is an idea that Eynsham Parish Council has been investigating since 2015, without realising there were county-wide concerns about vehicle speeds. In December 2020, Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) unanimously agreed that all new residential streets will be restricted to 20mph. Other villages have already made a partial switch: Charlbury reduced their speeds in April 2020, as did Chipping Norton in 2018.  Nationally, Wales is preparing to make 20mph the default speed limit across the country by 2023.

The Parish Council scheme will reduce the speed of all traffic on residential streets to 20mph. Reducing speeds of roads along the periphery to 40mph (the B4449 and the B4049 road to the Toll Bridge) will also be included, while a section of the Cassington Road will be reduced to 30mph.

While speed limit changes mean motorists will need to adjust, we believe it is the right step to maintain the safety of our local roads and encourage more active travel, such as cycling or walking. It is also a way to mitigate some of the traffic issues we can foresee when the large new developments are built on the edge of Eynsham in the coming years. More details on the rationale of our scheme are available in this this article.

In March 2022, the 20mph scheme plans were submitted to Oxfordshire County Council and, following a consultation, were approved. The new speed limits will be enforced using new signs and by establishing a local Community Speedwatch Group, in collaboration with local law enforcement officers. More information on the Community Speedwatch Group is available on the separate tab.

We will inform the community in advance of the speed limits changing to ensure everyone is aware. The scheme will be reviewed after 12 months to see if additional traffic calming measures are required, although these options will not include speed bumps. 

Updated May 2022

Councillor Tricia Crowley:

“I feel passionately about preserving the peace and safety of Eynsham streets as our area develops. Did you know that only 21.2% of young people in Oxfordshire are getting the daily recommended amount of exercise? We want everyone to feel safe and able to walk around the village, support the local shops and maintain the community spirit – and for some, simply being able to walk to the shops can reduce isolation and loneliness.

I know our local running group welcome the changes as it keeps them safer when they’re out and, as it only takes c. 90 seconds longer to drive across the village at 20mph compared to 30mph, there are no compelling reasons not to change the speed limits, especially as casualties from road accidents fall by 20% if the speed limit is reduced to 20mph.”

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