A FATHER-of-two has criticised road improvements which he says will do nothing to prevent rat-runners driving through his village.

Barry Marsh believes chicanes on Oxford Road and Elsfield Road in the village of Old Marston, on the edge of Oxford, will only make the traffic worse and has called for the road to be closed.

The 28-year-old, who lives in nearby Mill Lane, has also criticised the police for not enforcing the law which rules that motor vehicles should not use the road unless it is for access.

Mr Marsh claimed Oxfordshire County Council, which is spending £100,000 on traffic calming measures, and the police turn a blind eye to rat runners in order to take the pressure off nearby Marsh Lane.

He said: "The drivers don't give way to anyone, don't drive with due care and attention, and they are queuing halfway through the village to get onto Cherwell Drive in the mornings.

"It is access-only along those roads, so that is a law that is being broken every day and every night, and it is appalling."

He said people queueing around the new chicanes would only serve to block up the village.

Lorry driver Mr Marsh, who has a two-year-old son and one-year-old daughter, said: "They won't look at enforcing the law until there has been a death.

"A village is meant to be a nice place to live. When my kids get older and walk to school, I don't want to risk them getting knocked down."

Mr Marsh said the city and county councils had allowed major developments in the area but were not willing to pay for the transport infrastructure.

He called for Marsh Lane to be widened and a barrier installed at either end of the village, adding: "I would rather go the long way round than put up with all that traffic going through the village."

County councillor David Robertson, the cabinet member responsible for roads and transport, said he believed the chicanes would work and said their impact would be measured.

He added: "I am always very reluctant to close a road completely because you then open up the opportunity for people to use other roads.

"We hope that the traffic calming will be enough to deter most of the other traffic."

Mr Robertson said changes to Marsh Lane were unlikely because of lack of funding and the effect it would have on people living there.

He said: "People are wedded to their cars. They are convenient, even if you have to sit in a traffic jam."

Victoria Bartlett, of Thames Valley Police, said enforcing the access only rule would mean following a vehicle from start to finish to prove the offence.

She added: "However, roads policing officers and local police teams take complaints of traffic offences seriously and will continue to pay attention to such areas as Old Marston to both improve the quality of life for residents but also to ensure their safety."