Oxford 20mph speed limit rollout delayed until 2026
Council postpones scheme until Botley Road reopens and traffic filter trial begins
Plans to expand 20mph speed limits across Oxford have been delayed until at least August 2026, Oxfordshire County Council has confirmed.
Transport cabinet member Cllr Andrew Gant said the rollout would not proceed until Botley Road reopens and the effects of the council’s upcoming traffic filter trial can be assessed.
The trial, which will fine drivers £70 for entering restricted city centre routes, has been postponed due to long-running Network Rail works at Oxford railway station.
The 20mph scheme, backed by an £8 million budget, is replacing 30mph limits in towns and villages across Oxfordshire, but Oxford remains largely untouched. Roads in Witney, Didcot, Abingdon and Wantage have already been updated.
Cllr Gant told a council meeting the city’s rollout had been “deliberately deferred” because of the Botley Road closure, now expected to last until 2026. He said Oxford’s traffic situation needed to stabilise before further changes could be introduced.
Other towns awaiting a review include Bicester, Banbury and Carterton. The speed limit initiative forms part of the council’s Vision Zero programme, aimed at reducing serious injuries and deaths on the roads.