Birmingham bids to become England’s first 20mph city as ‘anti-motorist’ council policy moves to lower speed limit on hundreds of roads

Birmingham hopes to become England’s first 20mph city as the ‘anti-motorist’ council moves to lower the speed limit on hundreds of roads. 

The Liberal Democrat, Green and independent-led city council wants to stop cars ‘dominating’ the streets and is instead encouraging residents to walk and cycle.

However critics have said the local authority is ‘determined to make it harder’ for people to get around the city, with Reform UK arguing the proposals are ‘anti-motorist’. 

Birmingham was once known as Britain’s ‘motor city’ owing to its vast car production and pioneering road designs. 

But the city council is now pushing for all routes below A-roads to be slapped with 20mph speed limits. 

The local authority has mapped out how Birmingham’s transport system will be ‘transformed’ by 2031 to ‘meet the challenges of the next decade’. 

The Birmingham Transport Plan details how ‘walking, cycling and active travel will become the first choice for most people making short journeys in their local neighbourhoods’ as ‘cars will no longer dominate street life around homes and schools’. 

In the next five years, the city council hopes introduce a 20mph limit as ‘standard on all local roads’. 

The local authority is pushing for all routes below A-roads to be slapped with 20mph limits

The plan states: ‘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 will also provide important support for the wider regeneration of local centres stimulating economic growth and employment opportunities. 

‘Transport plays an important role in connecting new residential neighbourhoods and local centres, providing sustainable and active forms of travel.’

According to the city council’s proposals, this means ‘introducing 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’. 

As part of the transformation, city centre access will be limited to private cars in favour of a network of pedestrian streets and cycling and public transport routes. 

The plans come despite the Department for Transport saying in June that 20mph restrictions ‘should only be used where they are appropriate and supported by evidence’.

Reform UK councillor and leader of the city council’s opposition, Jex Parkin, told The Telegraph: ‘This is another anti-motorist policy from a council that seems determined to make getting around Birmingham harder.

‘People already have enough congestion, restrictions and disruption to deal with without another blanket measure being imposed on them.’

Mr Parkin also told BirminghamLive: ‘People are fed up with being made to feel that driving around their own city is a problem.

‘Birmingham’s roads are already difficult enough to navigate without the council putting yet another obstacle in people’s way.’ 

‘This is an anti-motorist policy and Reform will oppose it. Keep 20mph where there is a genuine safety need – but scrap the idea that it should become the default across Birmingham.’ 

Birmingham was once known as Britain’s ‘motor city’ owing to its vast car production and pioneering road designs

It comes after RAC data last month revealed that the number of drivers caught speeding in 20mph zones had tripled in two years. 

In 2023, 37,219 drivers had broken 20mph speed limits across the country. But last year this figure rose to 125,133. That’s a 235 per cent increase. 

A spokesman for Birmingham City Council told the Daily Mail: ‘By introducing 20mph limits in residential neighbourhoods and local centres, we are able to put people – rather than cars – first.

‘In 2014 the council adopted a policy that on most adopted roads in Birmingham, the speed limit should be 20mph introduced through “sign only” areas. 

‘This would equate to something like 90 per cent of the city’s roads by length – with 20mph limit covering residential streets, local centres, near to school entrances, local attractions, health centres and hospitals, and public transport interchanges.

‘Pilot schemes for Birmingham city centre plus areas to the east and south were planned, eventually covering about a third of the city. 

‘However, due to the relatively high cost of area-based schemes, 20mph rollout has been done on a more targeted basis, in response to local road safety concerns or near to schools.

‘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. 

‘Slower speeds are less intimidating towards those who walk or cycle, activities that we need to encourage more of if we are to reduce the number of harmful emissions and traffic levels in the city.’