Sadiq Khan's road wars marketing blitz: Mayor of London spent nearly £2m painting red lines, fitting road signs and on slick radio ads and posters as part of 20mph zone awareness campaign

Transport for London (TfL) has spent almost £2 million painting red lines, fitting speed limit road signs and slick radio ads as part of Sadiq Khan's road wars marketing blitz.

Just 40 miles of 20mph zones were implemented as part of the Mayor of London's 'Vision Zero' policy, which aims at completely eradicating transport deaths in the capital. 

The figures, which were released under FOI rules, showed that TfL paid £276,000 for slick marketing and communications, including radio adverts, to tell motorists about the new speed limits introduced in eight of London's boroughs. 

The new 20mph zones were created in the Royal boroughs of Greenwich and Kensington and Chelsea, and Lewisham, Southwark, Wandsworth, Merton, Bromley and Lambeth.

Lambeth had the highest level of expenditure with £487,800 allocated for the project, which included design, materials, construction costs and 'local engagement'. 

There was also £74,000 spent on fitting the new 20mph road signs onto street lamps.

The figures were released to One Wandsworth, a community group that challenges the TfL on the closure of roads and the introduction of Low Traffic Neighborhoods. 

A total of 87 miles of 20mph roads are set to be introduced by TfL, which Sadiq Khan is the chair of, by May next year. 

A TfL spokesman said: 'Keeping Londoners safe as they navigate our city is TfL’s top priority and 20mph speed limits save lives.

'Collision data from around the world shows that the faster a vehicle is travelling, the more likely it is that a collision will occur and reducing vehicle speeds is the single most important factor behind the likelihood of a collision occurring and the severity of injuries.

'It’s vital that we make people aware of new speed limits, which is why we launched a multi-channel communications campaign targeting drivers to raise awareness. This spending on communication is a key part of our overall investment in reducing road danger.'

MailOnline has contacted Sadiq Khan's office. 

Previously, drivers living life in the slow lane shared their misery after 20mph speed limits were imposed by their local councils. 

Critics told MailOnline that the restriction is 'stupid', and claim the speed reductions have clogged roads with gridlock and doubled commuting times, and that some drivers are simply ignoring the law to tear along streets at 50mph.

Others questioned how the limit will be enforced - as drivers seeking a faster way to their destination turn side-streets into 'rat-runs', potentially increasing the risk of accidents. 

Long-time inhabitant Dot, who has lived in south-east London for 40 years, said: 'I think Sadiq Khan is an idiot.

'He doesn't drive obviously - even if he says he goes on buses. We're the ones that get caught up where we can't even get in our drives.

'The traffic was really bad here anyway, because its a shortcut to the High Street. It took us 40 years to get the speed bumps put in and then this happens.

'But there's no point in complaining to the council because they just don't pay any attention.'

Sofia Natocijeva, 27, visits Eltham frequently as she prepares to get married next week - and says the new limits are hampering her last minute preparations.

The bride-to-be said: 'It takes a lot longer to get around. My journey to get my wedding nails done in Eltham should have taken 25 minutes but took over 40.

'When there's no cars in front of them, motorists just speed up above the limit anyway.

'I just don't think we have enough space to slow down traffic like this.'