Active Travel
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the report entitled Walking and Cycling Index: UK, published by Walk Wheel Cycle Trust on 17 March 2026, what steps she is taking to support councils to lower speed limits.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood
Local authorities are responsible for managing the roads under their jurisdiction, drawing on their knowledge of local conditions and the needs of their communities. This includes the power to set local speed limits. Authorities may introduce 20mph limits in areas where people and traffic mix, such as outside schools, and they may also apply enforceable part‑time 20mph limits during specific periods, including school drop‑off and pick‑up times.
Authorities will have our full backing when implementing measures that respond to the concerns of local people.
As set out in the Road Safety Strategy the Government will be reviewing and updating its guidance, including ‘Setting Local Speed Limits’ and the ‘guidance on the use of speed and red‑light cameras’, to further support local authorities in making well‑informed decisions about managing speed on their networks.
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