Manchester could soon become a 20mph city – but not everyone is convinced

Hundreds more streets are set for lower speed limits, but some have questioned whether it is the right approach.

It’s not long before a car zips past on Hollyhedge Road in Wythenshawe. Supposedly a 30mph area, the road cuts right across the estate from east to west but many locals say there’s a major speeding problem.

It has got to the point where some people ‘struggle to cross the road’ at certain times of day because of how fast the cars go, and the amount of traffic congestion.

But everything could soon change under plans by Manchester council to slash speed limits to 20mph on hundreds of roads around Wythenshawe, including Hollyhedge.

Click here to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter

The move was announced in August to bring Wythenshawe’s roads in line with other parts of the city, and reduce collisions.

Speed limits in many parts of Manchester have fallen in recent years under the same aim, with nearly 70 per cent of the network now at 20mph according to council figures.

Previous changes saw bosses at the town hall announce in 2025 that speed limits on Manchester’s residential and city centre streets would be cut from 30mph to 20mph after a surge in injuries and deaths.

Speed limits were also cut down on some of the city’s faster roads too, such as the A34 Kingsway which dropped from 40 to 30 last year.

All of this has led some residents to say Manchester is becoming a ‘20mph city’ which could become ‘too slow’ to get around by car.

Others welcomed slower speeds on the city’s roads, saying anything that could stop people being injured or dying is worth a go.

‘It will make things safer for everyone’

Speaking on Hollyhedge Road in Wythenshawe, Carl Sutton was out with his mum Pauline and said speeds in the area have to come down.

“I think it’s a good idea, there are a lot of accidents around here,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Carl explained that his mum’s brother was hurt last year when a car came off the pavement and went into him on Hollyhedge Road.

For their family, it brought to life the risks of living near a road where cars often get away with going over existing speed limits.

Pauline added: “I support the lower speed limits, it will make things safer for everyone.”

A total of nearly 500 roads in Wythenshawe are part of the plans to get new 20mph speed limits. Bosses at the council say it could bring massive benefits, with fewer crashes and less pressure on the NHS in the long run.

They’re also hoping it could encourage more people to walk and cycle, and get more people out of the house speaking to each other in local areas.

The data on speed limits in Manchester paints a clear picture – council-shared figures showed that 30mph residential streets have ten times more collisions than 20mph local streets, with a similar situation for high streets.

Most pedestrian casualties (77 per cent) on residential streets in Manchester also happen on 30mph roads, the council figures revealed, despite 30 zones only making up 26pc of the total residential road network.

Some in Wythenshawe were not convinced that changing speed limits is the right approach, though.

Thomas Razniewski, 49, said: “If you drive safely, then I think everything on the roads should be fine. There are more cars on the road now so it can be dangerous, but for me, we should be focusing on education for kids, and drivers should stick to the existing speed limits.

“It’s not good to have a 20mph city, and as long as drivers aren’t doing anything dangerous then it should be fine as it is. Maybe it’s to push people to walk more or use public transport.”

As Manchester’s population continues to grow, the future of transport is becoming a bigger issue in the city.

Some parts of Manchester already suffer ‘gridlock’ at rush hour, and public transport users have complained that traffic congestion is slowing down buses in some areas.

‘It’s important to reduce speed limits’

Harry Gray, from active travel group Walk Ride GM, said Manchester has to follow the lead of other large cities by reducing car use.

He said: “I think it is important to reduce speed limits, especially in urban settings. A lot of these roads that are being reduced to 20mph are roads that won’t ever have dedicated cycling infrastructure on them, they’ll be designated as quiet roads where cyclists and pedestrians and drivers need to share the space.

“You can only really share spaces when the speeds are dropped to 20mph, especially if you’ve got children cycling or walking to school.

“These environments need to be safer really so kids can have that autonomy. If Manchester is to grow into a big city like other European cities or London, then we’re gonna have to reduce our car use, because there isn’t enough space for people to drive cars in every part of the city.

“It’s one of those natural progressions that we’ve seen in cities across the world and Manchester’s just a part of that story.”

Councillor Mandie Shilton Godwin is Manchester’s lead on transport issues and said: “The council’s position on road safety is that one injury or death on the road is too many.

“No matter how a person chooses to travel we want to ensure that when they use the road network in Manchester their journey is a safe one.

“There are many ways that road safety can be improved and the transition to 20mph limits is one that has a track record of helping to reduce collisions and serious injury.

“Currently around 68pc of the road network in Manchester already has a 20mph speed limit, covering around 74pc of residential streets. However this coverage is not evenly distributed, with lower coverage in northern wards as well as in Wythenshawe when compared to central, eastern and southern wards of Manchester.

“People’s safety should not be a postcode lottery which is why we are working to improve safety across the city.”