Road safety could be improved in nearly 300 neighbourhoods across Hertfordshire under new plans to expand 20mph zones across the county.

Hertfordshire County Council, which is run by the Liberal Democrats, says the schemes are designed to reduce speeding in residential areas and near schools, with research suggesting lower speed limits can reduce road deaths and serious injuries by around 25%.

The new 20mph zones are expected to be introduced mainly on residential streets rather than main roads, and will be subject to public consultation. The council says schemes will only go ahead where there is local support.

The programme follows a change in how the council delivers 20mph limits. Instead of installing physical traffic calming measures such as speed humps, most new schemes will be introduced using signage and road markings, which the council says is quicker and more cost-effective.

Funding for the programme largely comes from a £7 million central government grant for 20mph schemes, along with an additional £1.5 million from the council's capital budget.

According to the council, previous funding had already delivered 20 schemes, with around 70 more in development. The new approach aims to deliver those schemes as well as around 200 additional areas, bringing the total to nearly 300 neighbourhoods — more than half of the 557 areas in Hertfordshire where 20mph limits are considered suitable.

Cllr Paul Zukowskyj, the council's Executive Member for Transport and Environment, said the changes would help respond to long-standing concerns from residents about speeding near homes and schools. He said: "Residents across Hertfordshire have complained for years about dangerous speeding traffic outside their homes and their children's schools.

"Nearly 300 communities will have lower traffic speeds in areas where they live, walk, cycle, play, and go to school."

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However, 20mph limits have previously been a topic of debate in some areas, particularly where residents have raised concerns about enforcement, journey times, and whether signage-only schemes are effective without physical traffic calming.

Residents will be able to have their say on proposed schemes in their areas through consultation before any changes are introduced.