Early-stage plans for average speed cameras on deadly Oxfordshire road
The A420, which passes through Oxford and has varying speed limits, has seen a number of dangerous road incidents, with 351 crashes taking place in the last few years. There was a crash between two vehicles on the road between Oxford and Swindon five days ago. A crash involving a van and a motorbike also took place at the Botley Interchange junction in late April.
Average speed cameras work by calculating the time it takes for a vehicle to travel along a set distance, instead of measuring the speed from a specific point in the road. READ MORE: Oxford piano shop closure blamed on Botley Road shutdown[1] Oxfordshire County Council[2] say the scheme "is still in development and at a very early stage".
The spokesperson added that there were currently no further plans for more average speed cameras, but that other speed management projects were being considered under their Vision Zero speed management programme. Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber described the road as "one of the deadliest roads in the Thames Valley" and said the plans could help make an "entire route safe". 
"If we can save lives then it will be absolutely something we would look to adopt on other appropriate roads around Thames Valley. "It's not about catching people out, it's making sure we have a big impact across Thames Valley with the relatively limited resources we have to manage road policing." He also suggested using motorbike speed units instead of vans.
There are currently no average speed cameras on roads in the Thames Valley, apart from on motorways. 
"We want to see less people dead and injured on the roads, whether they are driving, cycling or walking, so we strongly support Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire County Council working together to look at the feasibility of average speed cameras on the A420. "We think that average speed cameras would be very suited to the job, because they can cover a large amount of road all day, every day. "They would work well on other roads that have a poor casualty record and a speed limit that is the same for a reasonable distance.
"Every fatality costs society more than a million pounds in insurance, emergency services costs, lost productivity and other human costs - and then there are the knock-on impacts of every crash to other drivers stuck in the jams, and everyone in the villages that suddenly see hundreds of cars pouring through. "There is no doubt that these cameras could make many people's lives a lot safer and better." However councillor Andrew Gant, cabinet member for transport management on the county council, told us he was "disappointed" that the PCC had chosen to go public in the scheme at such an early stage.
He said: "We work closely with TVP [Thames Valley Police] and the PCC on all aspects of road safety, and we are acutely aware of many places on our network with urgent claims for review, including the A40 at Barton Park in Oxford and the A4074 between Berinsfield and Shillingford. "We need to have those conversations in a constructive and professional manner, and we will continue to do that. "Meanwhile, I would repeat calls to Mr Barber to give us every possible support in promoting road safety, including taking enforcement of speed limits much more seriously, and expediting discussions about where and how we can best use initiatives like average speed cameras."
The county council estimate that there 30,000 accidents, around 30 deaths, and 245 serious injuries every year on Oxfordshire's roads.
It is rolling out a 20mph speed limit programme for areas across the county, where there is support from parish councils and the local county councillor.
References
- ^ Oxford piano shop closure blamed on Botley Road shutdown (www.oxfordmail.co.uk)
- ^ Oxfordshire County Council (www.oxfordshire.gov.uk)