SIR, Graham Hartley’s comments on the Middleton Stoney Road speed limit are just unbelievable. He takes issue. Well, so do I. Obviously, according to his address, Chesterton, when driving into Bicester he sees the 30mph speed sign prior to the Shakespeare Drive roundabout.

But what if you come out of Shakespeare Drive gong towards Bicester: there is no speed limit sign. More importantly, coming from Bicester into the Middleton Stoney Road, there is no indication of a speed limit.

Let me remind him that before the construction of new houses that road was a 50mph stretch. Upon commencement of building, a sign was visibly placed for a temporary 30mph limit at the Bicester end.

When this was removed, no permanent sign was erected to replace it to inform motorists that this was to be permanent. Consequently, frequent users of this road assumed it was once again 50mph when the temporary one was removed.

Are we expected to know that the Highways department has decided to give this road a 30mph limit? Nothing to do with the Highway Code, sir. And nothing to do with the Villiers Road or Queen’s Avenue when it was a 50mph limit, was it?

We all know that the already built-up area is 30mph — no need to remind us of that. I wonder if Mr Hartley has recently driven along the road coming from the Bicester end and seen the very recently erected signs of Watch Your Speed, in fact in both ways. This is an improvement, but still not indicating the speed of the 30mph restriction. In last week’s newspaper, it was said that 18 people were stopped for being over the 30mph speed limit in an afternoon — revenue of £1,080 — at £60 per car.

That speaks volumes to me that a proper 30mph sign should be made permanent at the Bicester end of the Middleton Stoney Road because it is not known as a 30mph zone.

L J Edmunds (Mrs), Isis Avenue, Bicester