Are 20mph speed limits coming to your area?

One third of the population already live within a 20mph speed limit, but many local authorities are looking at introducing blanket 20mph speed limits during 2025, will your area be one of them? 

Birmingham and Scotland considering 20mph speed limits 

Birmingham is the latest UK council to consider introducing 20mph speed limits. It’s planning to introduce the limit on a city-wide basis, meaning the city of Birmingham will become a default 20mph zone.  

The decision to blanket the speed limit is partly due to efficiency and cost-saving. Doing it this way makes it a much more straightforward process for the council.  By making the entire city of Birmingham a 20mph zone, the council can avoid putting speed limit signs on every street, saving an estimated £12 million.  

Scotland is also looking to introduce blanket 20mph speed limits in 2025. Earlier this year, Scotland decided to reduce the speed limit on most of its urban roads to 20mph and is planning to implement the change in early 2025.  

Lower speed limits are already in place in Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Highlands and the Scottish Borders.  

How much of the UK is already a 20mph zone? 

More than one in three people (28 million) live in an area with 20mph speed limits on their roads. There is currently no nationwide policy, but many towns and cities  

have adopted the 20mph restriction including Hull, Chichester, Bristol and the inner boroughs of London. 

Will the UK go nationwide with 20mph speed limits? 

Currently, there are no plans to introduce blanket 20mph speed limits across the UK. 

When asked before the 2024 election, Labour MP Louise Haigh said: “20mph limits are welcome in certain areas such as around schools – but those decisions should be made locally. That’s why a Labour government will not introduce blanket 20mph zones”. 

To learn more about why 20mph speed limits are being considered, check out our blog on the spike in speeding case convictions.