Campaigners are demanding that the 20mph speed limit rules introduced in towns and cities across the UK be scrapped immediately. 20mph limits have become popular in recent years as officials look to slow down vehicles in built-up areas such as housing estates.
Major cities such as London, Birmingham and Manchester are among those with extensive 20mph zones. Wales introduced a national 20mph speed limit on residential routes back in 2023 in a bid to slow down vehicles and boost road safety. A new Parliament petition is demanding that the lower limits be axed, with slower speeds likely to "inconvenience everyone".
The petition reads: “We believe anti-car sentiment has become rife and 20mph speed limits are becoming commonplace in many towns and villages which just slows traffic and causes more congestion. There should be a national policy so 20mph limits are only used as the exception, e.g outside schools.
“Because we believe that we are becoming a society where we are ever more controlled rather than punishing those that do not follow the standard 30mph speed limit. Instead of punishing dangerous driving we inconvenience everyone.”
The Government will respond to the petition when the survey receives at least 10,000 signatures. However, the issue will be considered for debate in Parliament once the poll receives 100,000 signatures.
The Parliament petition is set to run until the end of April 2026, giving road users almost a third of a year to have their say. The Welsh Government performed its own partial U-turn on its 20mph speed limit rules.
Officials said they would allow local councils to review and then reinstate 30mph limits on specific routes if they thought it was best. According to road safety charity Brake, speed is a contributory factor in 25% of fatal road crashes.
They explained that 20mph speed limits reduce traffic collisions resulting in death or serious injury. However, a poll from the group found that only 39% agree the default speed limit on roads in built-up areas should be lowered from 30mph to 20mph.
