All primary schools in Barnet would be entitled to 20mph zones around their school under recommendations due to be put before Barnet Council’s cabinet next month.

Residents would also be able to make joint applications for their own streets under the proposals, formed by a team of councillors who spent a month looking at the effectiveness of lower speed limits.

The group of five elected councillors visited other local authorities and looked at speeding statistics throughout their investigation.

Having announced their conclusions this morning, the panel said they were unanimous in their support of 20mph zones.

But they stopped short of recommending the limit be introduced in all the borough’s residential streets, as other authorities including Bristol, Camden and Islington have done.

The group is looking at obtaining cash for the changes from Transport for London, which provides grants for council schemes that support the Mayor of London’s road safety plan.

Statistics show the chances of a person being killed or suffering serious injury when they are hit at 20mph is 53 per cent less than if the car was travelling at 30mph or more.

Task group leader and Conservative councillor Kate Salinger said the evidence in favour of 20mph zones was “overwhelming” on the group’s visits to boroughs including Camden, Harrow and Haringey.

She said: “We studied statistics, statistics and more statistics. The figures speak for themselves and the evidence was overwhelming.

“I am hopeful that the cabinet will take our recommendations on board in order to make our borough an even safer place in which to live.”