DRIVING experts last night questioned the need for Oxford’s 20mph limits after it emerged motorists are still ignoring the restrictions six months after they came into force.

The Oxford Mail carried out a speed check in Morrell Avenue in East Oxford yesterday and discovered 110 out of 147 vehicles – 75 per cent – were exceeding the limit.

Almost all Oxford’s residential roads and some of the city’s arterial routes became 20mph zones in September after Oxfordshire County Council splashed out £300,000 on to improve road safety.

During our hour long survey, 57 motorists – 38 per cent – were exceeding 25mph, meaning they could be fined and given three penalty points on their licences.

However, Thames Valley Police has not fined any drivers for breaking the new limits and has still not carried out any speed checks on roads with the reduced limit.

Hugh Jaeger, the county representative for the British Motorcyclists Federation and Bus Users UK, said: “We have been robbed of £300,000 which has been spent putting in a speed limit that most people ignore.

“Money is being hijacked for 20mph and 50mph schemes that could be used to reduce casualties in other ways without losing the co-operation of motorists. The police have got more important things to do than enforce this.”

During our survey, a further 13 motorists – nine per cent of the total caught on our speed gun – exceeded the former 30mph limit.

However, the figures showed a 10 percentage point improvement in the number of motorists obeying the law since we carried out checks on September 2, when the 20mph limits came into effect.

Another Oxford Mail check in October showed 73 per cent of vehicles were exceeding the limit.

Mark McArthur-Christie, chairman of the Oxford group of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: “The council is trying to bring about safer roads in the county and I’d be happy if putting up signs with 20mph on it saved lives. But every piece of experience says it isn’t so.”

Police spokesman David Staines said 20mph limits would not achieve driver compliance unless other road calming measures were introduced. He added: “Simply putting a different number at the end of a road and relying on enforcement alone to achieve compliance is not the answer.”

Between 2006 and 2008 two fatal, 81 serious and 583 slight accidents were recorded on the roads covered by the new 20mph limits.

County council spokesman Owen Morton said: “It is still far too early to judge the introduction of 20mph areas in Oxford.”

cwalker@oxfordmail.co.uk