The county council has revealed the date when new 20mph limits will actually come into force, after residents were left baffled by scheme’s road signs.

People living in Witney and surrounding villages were “confused” by the “stupid” placement of the signage, with many unsure if the new speed was even enforced yet.

The signs were rolled out by Oxfordshire County Council last week as part of its eight million pound 20mph restriction programme.

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The three-year scheme sees the council introduce 20mph speeds as the new 30mph for communities where there is local support, with the aim being to reduce congestion and air pollution and make roads safer.

Oxford Mail: The new signs on New Yatt Road The new signs on New Yatt Road (Image: Liam Walker)

However, residents were left scratching their heads when the signs were unveiled, due to their perplexing locations.

One 20mph sign in Burford Road has been placed opposite a 40mph sign and two signs in New Yatt Road have been positioned either side of a 30mph road marking.

Baffled motorists, many of who were unsure what speed to drive at, took to social media to blast the new signs by calling them a “waste of money”, “stupid” and “confusing”.

Following the public outcry, including from councillor Liam Walker, the signs were swiftly covered up by the council with black meshing.

This only further added to the confusion of whether the new speeds should be observed or ignored.

Oxford Mail: A 20mph sign covered by the council A 20mph sign covered by the council (Image: Liam Walker)

The council has now told this newspaper when the speed limits should be followed from and what will happen to the incorrectly placed signs.

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesperson said: “Oxfordshire County Council has been made aware of a number of locations within the Witney area that have had the incorrect speed limit signs installed as part of the 20mph rollout.

“We are working with the provider to understand how and why this has happened.

“The Witney 20mph limit will formally be enforceable once the Speed Regulation Order has been finalised by our legal team on 14 November 2022.

“Unfortunately the New Yatt 20mph limit has been installed incorrectly. Work to amend this will be carried out tomorrow (2 November) to prevent any further confusion. In the meantime, the existing speed limit of 30mph is still in place and drivers should comply with this limit.”

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This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.

You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry

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