20mph to become the standard on residential streets, says transport plan

Twenty miles an hour will eventually become the default speed limit on every residential street and local centre in Birmingham, according to the city council's transport blueprint.

The Birmingham Transport Plan sets out how the council wants the city's roads to change over the coming years, putting walking, cycling and public transport first.

What the plan says

"Cars will no longer dominate street life around homes and schools," the document says. "A limit of 20mph will be standard on all local roads. Residential neighbourhoods and local centres will be places where people are put first."

Under the heading "future steps", it commits the council to "introduce 20mph as the default speed limit for all residential streets and local centres in Birmingham, while retaining a 30mph speed limit on strategic and distributor roads".

Busier roads would stay at 30mph. Many main roads in the city were already cut from 40mph to 30mph earlier this year.

The reasoning

The plan argues that slower traffic will make streets safer and more pleasant. "Ending the dominance of cars on streets in residential neighbourhoods, around schools and in local centres will increase active travel, improve air quality and reconnect communities," it says.

"It will also provide important support for the wider regeneration of local centres stimulating economic growth and employment opportunities."

Research on 20mph limits has found that lower speeds reduce both the number of collisions and how serious they are. A pedestrian hit at 20mph is far more likely to survive than one hit at 30mph, and slower traffic also cuts noise and makes it easier for people to cross the road.

Opposition

The plans have been criticised by Reform councillors, who call them an "anti-motorist policy". The group's leader, Councillor Jex Parkin, said: "Keep 20mph where there is a genuine safety need, but scrap the idea that it should become the default across Birmingham."

The idea has drawn national attention in recent weeks and revived the argument over whether lower limits are needed or go too far. Critics say they slow journeys and are hard to enforce. Supporters point out that many streets in the city, particularly around schools, already have 20mph limits.

Speeding is common

Birmingham Live has reported that around 100,000 drivers in the region have been caught this year doing between 30mph and 40mph, a sign of how widespread speeding is on roads with lower limits, and only those caught by cameras or police vans are counted.

Any change to speed limits needs a traffic regulation order, which must be advertised and consulted on before it can take effect. That means residents will have a chance to comment on each scheme as it comes forward.