The 27 Birmingham roads having speed limits slashed as part of 'road safety emergency' - see the full list
Birmingham is set to slash almost all the city’s 40mph speed limits after a “road safety emergency” was declared following a spate of deaths.
Maximum speeds would be cut to 30mph. The city council launched a consultation on proposals to review 40mph speed limits last year as concerns over “anti-social and dangerous driver behaviour” continued to grow.
At the time, the authority said the scheme aimed to improve road safety and encourage active travel such as walking and cycling. The proposals ended up splitting opinion, with 949 of respondents opposed to the 30mph speed limit, 56.7 per cent.
A total of 635 said they supported it, 37.9 per cent, while another 90 respondents said they were neutral towards the proposals.
But a decision was made to proceed with the consultation, noting that while more than 55 per cent of the responses did not support the scheme, a “significant” percentage of those – around 25 per cent – were not necessarily against the proposals but were concerned with there being inadequate levels of enforcement.
Following the declaration of a road safety emergency in the summer, city transport boss Coun Majid Mahmood, has “fast-tracked” the proposed speed limit reductions.
It was declared amid fears over the number of tragic deaths and Coun Mahmood previously said there were “high and growing levels of concern” about safety on the city’s roads from residents, community groups and politicians.
A new public consultation opened today, November 19, on Speed Limit Orders, the legal documents required to make changes to the status of roads. It includes a list of roads across Birmingham where the speed limit could be slashed from 40mph to 30mph.
“Reducing speed limits aims to reduce the risk of road harm by slowing vehicle speeds,” the consultation said.
“It also provides consistency across the city, improving driver compliance and aiding enforcement.”
It said changes to the highway, mainly changing and removing signs, would take place early in 2025, subject to approval of this order.
The council said the costs for the project would come from surplus income from the Clean Air Zone (CAZ). This funding is ringfenced for use on transport schemes only and cannot be used for other purposes, it added.
The Birmingham roads proposed for a reduction in speed limit from the existing 40mph to 30mph
The previous consultation said it was not proposed to have physical speed reduction measures or new enforcement cameras as part of the project. Any existing speed enforcement cameras would be changed to reflect the reduced speed limit.
The new consultation, which closes on Tuesday, December 10, can be found on the Birmingham Be Heard website here.
Where roads share a boundary with Sandwell or other neighbouring authorities, the city council is only proposing to reduce the speed limit on the sections of road within Birmingham.