New 20mph speed limit zones in Dunstable and transformations in the 'streetscape' were just some of the road safety ideas outlined during talks about drawing up an area transport plan.

Paul Cook, of Central Beds Council, mentioned the possible measures in an update to Dunstable town centre management committee about a wide range of transport matters.

As well as covering major schemes such as the A5 Dunstable northern bypass, he also talked about how measures such as 20mph zones had worked well elsewhere.

And he showed pictures of Kensington High Street, in London, which had been decluttered.

The accident rate plummeted there when unnecessary features were removed, including surplus road signs and most of the guard railings.

Mr Cook said: "It is about careful designing, thinking things through and putting things in place that would make the driver slow down and think. It can work – if you get it right."

Town councillor Terry Stock said: "20mph speed limits – how on earth are you going to enforce them? We have 30mph limits now and they are still doing 40mph and 50mph."

Mr Cook said that 20mph limits can help to slow down cars. He said that cars can be encouraged to slow down naturally, if streets are designed in a way to make drivers think more about their actions and about people nearby.

The town centre champions were also given a snapshot of the traffic nightmare suffered daily on Dunstable's congested streets.

Annual traffic count figures for 2009/10 showed that on average, 25,435 vehicles clogged up High Street South each day – and 2.5 per cent were HGVs.

Daily average traffic flows elsewhere included 24,356 vehicles in Church Street (11.7 per cent HGVs); 17,273 in High Street North (14 per cent HGVs) and 10,690 in Brewers Hill Road (0.4 per cent HGVs).

Talks about the proposed local area transport plan for Dunstable and Houghton Regis are in the early stages.

Once in place, it will form part of a transport plan for the whole of Central Beds.