Birmingham is moving towards becoming England’s first 20mph city, with council plans proposing that the lower speed limit should become standard across virtually every local road.
Under Birmingham City Council’s new Local Plan, 20mph limits would eventually apply to B-roads, C-roads and unclassified local roads, while A-roads would be excluded from the general policy.
The proposal forms part of a wider vision to reshape how people travel around Britain’s second city, with the council seeking to prioritise walking and cycling in local neighbourhoods and reduce the prominence of cars.
The plan states: “A limit of 20mph will be standard on all local roads.”
It adds: “Residential neighbourhoods and local centres will be places where people are put first. Cars will no longer dominate street life around homes and schools.”
The proposal marks a significant expansion of Birmingham’s existing approach to 20mph limits, which have previously been introduced gradually in selected parts of the city.
For motorists already navigating congestion, road restrictions and a growing patchwork of traffic measures, however, the prospect of extending 20mph limits across almost the entire local road network is unlikely to be universally welcomed.
It is also a striking development for a city once synonymous with the British motor industry. Birmingham and the surrounding West Midlands were at the heart of Britain’s car manufacturing industry for generations, while the city became famous for ambitious road-building projects designed around the motor car.
Now its council is setting out a future in which the car should no longer “dominate” local streets.
Jex Parkin, Reform UK’s opposition leader on Birmingham City Council, described the proposal as another attack on motorists.
He said: “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.”
Birmingham City Council argues that lower speeds will make streets safer and encourage more people to walk and cycle.
A council spokesman said: “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.”
The authority says its 20mph programme has until now largely been introduced on a targeted basis, including around schools and in areas where road safety concerns have been identified.
The new Local Plan goes considerably further, however. The council says that, for B-roads, C-roads and unclassified roads, 20mph speeds will continue to be introduced through a gradual rollout under the Birmingham Transport Plan.
The Department for Transport has stressed that councils remain responsible for deciding speed limits on their own roads.
A DfT spokesman said: “Local authorities are responsible for setting speed limits in their areas, and our guidance is clear that 20mph limits should only be used where they are appropriate and supported by evidence.”
The issue has already proved politically explosive elsewhere.
Wales introduced a default 20mph limit on restricted roads in 2023, triggering considerable opposition and subsequently changing the policy to make it easier for councils to return individual roads to 30mph.
The Conservatives have also pledged to oppose blanket 20mph schemes, with shadow transport secretary Richard Holden previously describing 20mph as the “national speed of bureaucracy”.
Birmingham’s proposals come as councils and regional leaders are seeking greater devolved powers over transport and other areas of local policy.
The city council has previously gone further still, with its Road Harm Reduction Strategy stating that it would lobby for powers to enable default 20mph limits, arguing this could reduce the cost of making residential areas across Birmingham subject to a blanket 20mph restriction.
Residents can have their say – but there is no standalone vote on 20mph
Birmingham residents do have an opportunity to object to the proposals, although the council is not holding a separate consultation specifically asking the public whether they want 20mph limits across the city.
Instead, the policy is contained within Birmingham City Council’s much wider Publication Local Plan, which covers the future development of the city and is currently undergoing formal public consultation.
That means anyone concerned about the proposed 20mph policy will need to respond to the relevant part of the wider Local Plan consultation rather than simply answering a yes or no question on whether they support the change.
The consultation opened on August 13 and closes on Thursday, September 24, 2026.
Representations received before the deadline will then be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate as part of the process leading to an Examination in Public, expected in 2027.
With a change capable of affecting motorists across almost the entire city tucked inside a considerably broader planning document, residents who feel strongly about Birmingham becoming a 20mph city may therefore want to make sure their views are formally recorded before the consultation closes.
