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The mission to cut fatal and serious accidents on Leicestershire's roads could take up to 20 years to accomplish, it emerged today.

It comes as figures showed 75 people died on city and county roads in 2006, compared with 61 during 2005.

Traffic bosses want to reduce the numbers of serious accidents by introducing traffic calming measures such as speed bumps, mini-roundabouts and warning signs to about 200 roads.

The idea is to reach Government targets to cut the number of people killed or seriously injured by 40 per cent and halve the number of children killed by 2010.

Councils prioritise traffic safety schemes based on the number of crashes in any road or area.

However, city council bosses say it could take 20 years to get to the bottom of its priority list of 111 areas.

Leicestershire County Council is looking at cutting accidents in up to 70 areas and introducing a number of other road safety schemes. It estimates that it would take 10 years to do it all. The county council hopes to deliver 20 of these schemes in the next year but its priority list is not yet available.

Council transport chiefs said today that limited funds meant they had to focus on the worst black spots first.

County council transport spokesman Nick Rushton assured residents that the long-term plan would make roads safer.

He said: "Our policy is to put schemes where they're needed most - it's a difficult balance, but we have to do the best we can with the money we've got."

Safety campaigners and police said it was not possible to make roads safer overnight.

They called on motorists to slow down in the meantime.

The Leicester City Council proposals will focus on schemes in 17 accident black spots from next year, some of which have already started.

Michael Jeeves, from the city council, said they were on target for reducing road deaths by 2010.

The road at the bottom of the city's priority list is Manor Park, in the Humberstone and Hamilton ward.

Ward councillor Stephen Thompson said traffic flow in the area was increasing and the calming measures needed to be introduced.

He said: "Clearly, this list will need to be reviewed.

"It's a very busy area with a lot of traffic, several schools and the large Tesco superstore nearby. There will certainly be a case for it to be put higher up the list."

About £2 million is being spent on various road safety schemes in the county this year, where there are more fatal crashes, with about £1 million spent in the city.

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said that it was up to councils to decide where to introduce traffic-calming schemes.

She said basing this decision on the number of accidents in a particular stretch of road was a "common-sense" approach.

She said: "It's the only way of judging how safe any road is."

Last week, the Government announced a £22 million investment to improve transport in Leicestershire in 2007/08.

Road safety measures will be among the areas funded by the cash, part of the Local Transport Capital Settlement given to local authorities each year.

* The full list of 111 roads will be published in the Leicester Mercury tomorrow.

Safety campaigners and police said it was not possible to make roads safer overnight.

They called on motorists to slow down in the meantime.

She said basing this decision on the number of accidents in a particular stretch of road was a "common-sense" approach.

She said: "It's the only way of judging how safe any road is."