Oxfordshire County Council is set to review speed limits on around 60 rural roads over the next 12 months as part of an expanded road safety programme aimed at reducing serious collisions and improving safety across the county’s A and B road network.
The initiative forms part of the Council’s Vision Zero strategy, which seeks to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on local roads. Since 2025, the council has been reassessing speed limits across rural routes using updated collision data, road layout assessments, and traffic usage patterns.
The ongoing review has already resulted in changes on key routes including sections of the A4074, A40, A420 and A417, alongside corridors such as the A4260 and connecting B roads.
In some cases, national speed limit stretches have been reduced to 50mph or 40mph, with additional safety interventions such as junction improvements and traffic management measures introduced where risks have been identified.
Read more: Oxfordshire villages see 60mph speed limits cut to 20mph amid safety fears over rising traffic
Councillor Gareth Epps, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, said the programme is focused on reducing harm on the county’s roads and ensuring speed limits reflect current conditions.
“This review is all about reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads,” he said. “The premise that no one should be killed or seriously injured as the result of a road collision, whatever mode of transport they are using, is at the heart of our Vision Zero strategy.”
He added that the last comprehensive review of A and B road speed limits took place 15 years ago, making the current reassessment overdue. While recent provisional government data suggests a decline in serious and fatal collisions across Oxfordshire, he said the council remains committed to further action.
“Every death is one too many. Indeed, it has strengthened our resolve to push on and make conditions safer on more of our rural roads,” he said.
Around 60 additional schemes are now being prepared for 2026–27 under the programme. The council says each proposal will be assessed individually rather than through blanket changes, with consultation and monitoring forming a core part of the process.
Stakeholder engagement will begin later this month, involving parish and town councils, Thames Valley Police, and bus operators, followed by a statutory public consultation later in the year.
The council says the approach is data-led and aligned with Department for Transport criteria, ensuring speed limits are set appropriately for road conditions and risk levels.
