More than half of Hertfordshire's urban roads could be covered by 20mph speed limits within two years, according to proposals that are being drawn up by the county council.

There are currently just 24 pockets of the county where the lower speed limit is already, or almost, in operation – with schemes covering a further 50 areas already in progress, either at design, planning or construction stage.

But now proposals have been drawn up that could significantly accelerate the roll-out of the 20mph zones across Hertfordshire, by investing an additional £1.5m over the next two financial years.

The additional funding and a recent change in approach is expected to lead to an increase in the number of zones to almost 200.

And it could mean that half of all urban areas in the county will be subject to 20mph speed limits by the end of 2027/28.

In some cases, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands, there could be blanket 20mph limits across whole urban areas.

But proposed schemes could still be blocked in particular areas, should consultation show that they don't have public backing.

And the proposals stress that the new 20mph zones will be "where residents tell us they want them".

The £1.5m budget proposals – which are on top of existing funding allocations – have been put forward by the council's Liberal Democrat administration.

And they were highlighted at a recent meeting of the council's cabinet by executive member for environment, transport and growth, Cllr Paul Zukowskyj.

"We are going to be delivering an additional 200-plus zones out of the 557 that were originally highlighted," said Cllr Zukowskyj.

"So we are going to get over 50% of Hertfordshire urban area within a 20mph zone within the next two years.

"And I think that is a really substantial uplift and a really significant achievement. So I am looking to be able to deliver that."

The imposition of 20mph zones is not always universally welcomed, with critics complaining that they cause congestion, increase journey times and lead to driver frustration.

But the county council has long argued that they improve road safety, create calmer streets and encourage more walking and cycling.

And Cllr Zukowskyj says the roll-out across Hertfordshire reflects residents' wishes – and "compelling" evidence that the change would impact on road safety.

"If we are going to cut the number of people going to the hospital, why wouldn't you want to do this? " he said.

"It's pretty compelling evidence from a road safety perspective."

Cllr Zukowskyj also suggests that the presence of 20mph signs signals to residents a sense of community.

And he suggests that by making people feel safer, it could increase the number of children walking or cycling to school.

According to the budget proposals, a total of £8.5m will have been allocated to the roll-out of 20mph zones in total by the end of 2027/28- including the additional £1.5m that's being proposed.

And, of that, £2.995m will be allocated to support the implementation of the schemes in 2026/27 and 2027/28.

Nevertheless, according to Cllr Zukowskyj, it's not just the additional funding, but the council's change in approach – implemented by the Liberal Democrat administration since June – that will mean more schemes will be implemented.

Until June judgements were made in advance about whether costly engineering works – such as speed humps – were needed to ensure compliance with the new speed limit.

But under the new approach, the signs are installed, and engineering work will be considered only if motorists do not comply with the signs.

That's expected to cut the cost of the roll-out of 20mph zones and, suggests Cllr Zukowskyj, may make the schemes more popular too.

In some cases, he says, objections have been focused on the installation of speed humps, rather than the reduction in the speed limit.

And he suggests schemes without traffic calming measures are more popular with residents.

The county council's budget proposals are currently being scrutinised in a series of meetings – and are due to be determined by a meeting of the full council on February 17.