Birmingham is considering plans to become England’s first city to introduce a blanket 20mph speed limit across roads below A-road classification, in a move opponents have branded “anti-motorist”.
The proposal has been put forward by Birmingham City Council, which is currently led by a coalition of Liberal Democrats, Greens and independent councillors.
Under the plans, roads classified below A-roads would become 20mph zones. The policy forms part of the council’s updated local plan, which sets out its long-term vision for how the city should develop and how residents will travel around it.
The council says the policy is intended to encourage more people to walk and cycle, while reducing the dominance of cars on residential streets.
Its plan states that “active travel”, primarily walking and cycling, should become the main way people travel within their local areas.
It also argues that cars should no longer dominate streets around homes and schools.
The proposals would go beyond speed limits. The council also intends to reconsider how road space is allocated, with the aim of supporting what it describes as a public transport system “fit for a global city”.
The plans are likely to prove controversial among motorists, particularly given the backlash that followed the introduction of a nationwide 20mph default speed limit on restricted roads in Wales in 2023.
Supporters of lower speed limits point to evidence suggesting they can reduce the severity and number of road casualties.
Ministers have previously said that 100 fewer people were killed or seriously injured on 20mph and 30mph roads during the year following the introduction of Wales’ lower speed limit.
Supporters argue that the potential reduction in deaths and serious injuries should outweigh concerns about longer journey times.
However, Birmingham’s opposition leader, Reform UK’s Jex Parkin, has criticised the proposal, arguing that it would make travelling around the city more difficult for motorists.
He said the plan represented “another anti-motorist policy” from a council that was making it increasingly difficult to get around Birmingham.
“People already have enough congestion, restrictions and disruption to deal with without another blanket measure being imposed on them,” he said.
The Conservatives have also opposed blanket 20mph policies in the past. The party has pledged that lower speed limits should be introduced “when necessary” rather than applied across large areas as a standard policy.
Birmingham City Council, however, maintains that the evidence supporting slower speeds is compelling.
“Evidence from around the world on slower speed limits is very clear: it reduces collisions, saves lives and reduces injuries, so our message is simple: slower is safer,” the council said.
It added that lower speeds could make walking and cycling feel safer and less intimidating, helping the city reduce traffic levels and harmful emissions.
The proposal forms part of a wider attempt by Birmingham City Council to reshape how residents move around the city, with greater emphasis on public transport, walking and cycling and less reliance on private cars.
If implemented across the proposed road network, Birmingham would become the first city in England to pursue such a comprehensive 20mph approach.