Overview

Road safety is a growing concern in Birmingham.

Dangerous and anti-social driving is a serious issue citywide, and the number of people killed or seriously injured remains high.

We have reviewed all remaining 40mph speed limits in the city and replaced almost all of these with 30mph speed limits. The only 3 roads with a higher speed limit are:

• A38(M) Aston Expressway
• A38 Quinton Expressway
• A4041 Queslett Road, which forms the boundary with Walsall

All other roads in Birmingham now have a legal speed limit of 30mph or less.

This scheme did not include new speed cameras or changes to road design, but existing cameras have been recalibrated to enforce the new speed limit.

If compliance with the 30mph speed limit remains a problem, we will consider additional measures.

We continue to work closely with West Midlands Police, and regional partners, to increase enforcement activity.

Why we did this

In July 2024, Councillor Majid Mahmood, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, declared a road safety emergency following a high number of serious and fatal collisions, most caused by excessive speed, and dangerous and inappropriate driver behaviour.

Global research shows:

• the faster a vehicle travels, the more likely a crash will occur
• higher speeds make collisions more severe because drivers have less time to react

To act quickly, Birmingham adopted a Road Harm Reduction Strategy and Action Plan in March 2025, which aligns with the West Midlands Regional Road Safety Strategy (2023 to 2030).

Reducing speed limits to reduce the risk of road harm is a core part of both strategies.

Page last updated: 19 December 2025