Labour plans may flip whole metropolis into 20mph zone with single change that would make it simpler for each council to chop pace limits

An entire city could be turned into a 20mph zone under Labour plans which are set to pave the way to making it easier for every council to cut speed limits.

Birmingham is the next target of the restrictions as its council has asked for permission to erect signs at the city boundary so the entire area can be classed as a 20mph zone.

With a population of 1.1 million, a decision is set to be made on the controversial limits on Tuesday after the Labour-controlled authority asked the Department for Transport (DfT) for special permission.

The proposal is significant and could set a precedent for other cities following suit as currently most only have the 20mph limit in place where there are signs on streets – despite the concerns of some that this is unsightly and expensive.

Birmingham’s decision to ditch the street signs comes after the authority effectively declared itself bankrupt in September, compounding its desire to avoid putting the 20mph signs on every street affected at an estimated cost of £12 million.

Rod King, a campaigner who founded the grassroots group, 20’s Plenty For Us, has welcomed the city’s plan. 

Speaking to the Sunday Times, he said: ‘Currently some 30 million people live in UK highway authorities where the national 30mph limit has been rejected as not fit for purpose.

‘But the administration process and signage regulations are expensively rooted in 1990s thinking when a 20mph limit was a rare exception. Setting 20mph as an urban/village default is the way to go.’

A 20mph sign on Penarth Road in Cardiff last week after a default speed limit was introduced 

Birmingham’s decision to ditch the street signs comes after the authority effectively declared itself bankrupt in September (file image)

Adam Tranter, who served as West Midlands cycling and walking commissioner until May, said switching from 30mph to 20mph would ‘make a huge dent’ in the number of people killed or seriously injured.

He admitted the subject is controversial, but added: ‘Physics doesn’t care much about that.’

But ex Top Gear host Quentin Willson warned that a ‘default limit across a city – whether needed or not – risks discrediting the vital cause of road safety’. 

A DfT-commissioned study published in November 2018 found 20mph limits in residential areas were supported by the majority of residents and drivers.

The research said cutting limits from 30mph to 20mph resulted in a reduction in average speed of less than 1mph, but vehicles travelling faster before the change generally lowered their speed more than slower vehicles.

The report concluded in the end there was no evidence of a significant drop in the number of crashes and casualties after the introduction of 20mph limits.

Though, this year the number of serious injuries and fatalities dropped by 23 per cent in the first quarter following speed reduction, compared with the comparable period before speeds were reduced.

On September 17 2023, Wales introduced a default speed limit of 20 mph (32 km/h) in built up areas.

The Welsh Government said they were doing this to reduce death and injury on the roads, as well as reduce noise and pollution and encourage active travel. This was despite their own figures showing the measure could cost Wales £4.5 billion over a 30 year period.

A woman holds a sign during a protest against 20mph speed limits in Cardiff, Wales on September 23

Across the UK, many cities and towns already had residential areas with 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limits and the Scottish government is hoping to lower the limit to 20mph in most of its residential roads by 2025.

While there have been no nationwide roll-outs as of yet in England, several areas such as Bristol and Manchester have introduced a default limit of 20 mph or have shared plans to do so.

News of Birmingham’s limits comes after there were 52 deaths and 1,020 serious injuries in the city on roads with a 30mph limit.

The council declared a ‘road safety emergency’ in July as 80 per cent of all casualties were in these, often residential, areas.