New speed limit guidance for councils

20mph road sign

Following a consultation, new guidance has been published today to help local councils set more appropriate speed limits on local roads.

New guidance to help local authorities across England set speed limits has been published today by Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond.

The updated guidance will help local councils implement more consistent speed limits on local roads and incorporates recent changes that create more flexibility for authorities to implement 20mph limits and zones.

Stephen Hammond said: We want to see safe roads which meet the needs of everyone, so it is vital that councils have clear and consistent guidance to help them set appropriate speed limits on their roads.

Local councils should set speed limits based on their local knowledge and on the views of the community. That is why we have launched an online toolkit alongside our new guidance to help councils make the best decisions for their local areas.

The new guidance has been published following an extensive consultation which was held last year, the results of which are also published today on the DfT website.

The online toolkit will enable local councils to calculate the potential costs and benefits of implementing new speed limits. The launch of this toolkit fulfils a commitment in the Department for Transport’s ‘Strategic framework for road safety’ published in 2010.