And councillors are expected to agree to support road safety campaigns instead of legally enforced 20mph speed limits in areas across the county - including outside schools.

In a special report discussed at a meeting last month, the council's road safety liaison officer Chris Fossey put the case for a road safety campaign, rather than new speed limits.

In the report he says a targeted local campaign:

• would not require a legal process




• would be cheaper to carry out




• quicker to introduce and




• less inconvenient to residents as no engineering work would have to take place.

He said: "Law enforcement would be extremely expensive because we would need to introduce many other measures to bring vehicle speeds down - if you suddenly change the speed limit on a road, drivers are going to carry on travelling at the speed they are used to for some time.

"We would need traffic calming measures, loads and loads of signs and there would be enormous legal costs - it would be a multi-million pound project.

"Campaigns and posters are obviously cheaper and we can control their costs."

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Mr Fossey added: "If people don't agree with a speed limit, they just won't pay attention - and the police would never support 20mph speed limits because it would be impossible for them to enforce."

He said traffic regulation orders - necessary for each stretch of road where a new limit is introduced - cost around £6,000 each, and depending on the type of road and area in which it is, traffic calming could cost between £50,000 and £100,000.

Several years ago, the county council carried out trials in Fenny Compton, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Tamworth-in-Arden, Monks Kirby, and Baddesley Ensor where 20mph signs were put up, but no campaigning took place. The results showed that signs alone were not effective.

Mr Fossey said: "A more targeted campaign could be more likely to result in lower speeds.

"If you just put signs there without telling people why, they don't want to comply. But if we can get schools on board, we could probably have a lot more of an impact."

The county council is considering introducing a campaign similar to Twenty Plenty schemes which have been introduced in several areas around the country, including Portsmouth, Leicester, Oxford, Norwich and Newcastle. Visit www.20splentyforus.org.uk

The 'speed limits versus road safety campaign' debate was due to be aired at a county council meeting at Shire Hall yesterday (Thursday).

Read our driving writer Andy Thomas' column

Kineton woman Jane Marsh's 20-year-old daughter Kelly was killed in Lighthorne Heath three years ago.

The driver of the car in which she was travelling crashed the vehicle due to careless driving while over the alcohol limit.

Mrs Marsh supported a petition last year by road safety charity Brake for 20mph safety zones and high visibility warning signs around schools and homes.