CYCLE safety mirrors being tested out in London should be used in Oxford, according to Liberal Democrat councillors.

Trixi mirrors, which are designed to help drivers spot cyclists at busy junctions, have recently been installed at junctions in Tooting As reported in the Oxford Mail, the county and city councils are planning to invest hundreds of thousands of pounds in Oxford’s cycling network over the next four years.

But the Liberal Democrat group leader at the city council, Jean Fooks, said the mirrors, which cost £120 each, could make a big difference to safety in Oxford and should be installed quickly.

The mirrors are attached to traffic lights to allow lorry drivers to see cyclists and pedestrians on their near-side.

Ms Fooks said the mirrors were named after 13-year-old Swiss cyclist Beatrix Willburger, whose father campaigned for the mirrors to be used across Europe after she was seriously injured by a left-turning lorry.

Ms Fooks said one possible location for a Trixi mirror was at the junction of Botley Road and Ferry Hinksey Road in West Oxford.

She said: “I hope the county council will identify junctions around Oxford where these mirrors could be installed.

“And £120 is not a huge investment. It would be a small price to pay for helping to prevent a cyclist being seriously hurt or even killed.

“The county council could pay for these mirrors out of the existing highways budget.”

She claimed that the Government was now allowing councils to install the mirrors without getting approval from the Department of Transport.

Ms Fooks said she wanted highways staff to liaise with cycling lobby groups in Oxford to establish the best possible locations.

Richard Mann, a spokesman for the Oxford-based cycling group Cyclox, said: “These mirrors could help drivers to see cyclists at junctions. They are a good idea but may be more suited to bigger and faster routes through London.”

When Ms Fooks raised the issue of Trixi mirrors at an Oxfordshire County Council meeting last month, Keith Mitchell, the council leader at the time, said there was not enough money in the budget.