A BLANKET 20mph speed limit is not the answer to solving the problem of Lancashire’s danger roads, according to the RAC.

A £9million scheme will be in place in two-years across the majority of Lancashire with all residential roads included.

Lancashire County Council said that the project would halt the thousands of people killed or seriously injured.

But the RAC Foundation, one of the country’s top road safety organisations, poured scorn on the project.

Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the group, said: “This is a bold move but raises questions. Just how practical will the scheme be to police, and what will the true benefits be?

“It must be remembered that not all residential areas are alike with casualties amongst child pedestrians much higher in deprived neighbourhoods than in more affluent districts.

“The evidence suggests there is a strong case for targeting speed limit changes rather than introducing blanket cuts.”

The £9million cost covers signage and publicity. No new speed humps are planned as this would make the costs rocket.

County Coun Tim Ashton, who is in charge of highways, said he wanted to tackle the critics ‘head-on’ He said that the scheme would be policed by neighbourhood road watch teams to make speeding ‘as taboo as drink driving’.

He said: “It is quite radical but we need to do something drastic to reduce the number of deaths on our roads.

“I think there will be a huge amount of support for what we are doing but if there are critics I will take them head-on.

“I have heard the arguments but speeding in residential areas is totally unacceptable. By dropping the speed limit we will certainly save lives.”