Written question asked by Baroness D'Souza (Crossbench) on Monday, 26 January 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 9 February 2026. It was answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Labour) on Tuesday, 10 February 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.
Speed Limits
- Question
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To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 7 April 2025 (HL6099) and the remarks by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 21 January (HL Deb col 279), what is the reason for the 20 miles per hour speed limit in London and other cities.
- Answer
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The power to impose 20mph speed limits rests with the local traffic authority. As well as influencing safety, such limits can positively affect quality of life, the environment and the local economy. The standard speed limit in urban areas is 30mph, which represents a balance between mobility, safety and other factors, but in specific areas traffic authorities can consider implementing of 20mph schemes, for example outside schools.
Authorities are asked to have regard to the Department for Transport’s guidance on Setting Local Speed Limits which as outlined in the Road Safety Strategy will be reviewed to further support local authorities in making well‑informed decisions about managing speed on their roads.
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- HL13916
- Session
- 2024-26
- Related items
- Subjects
- Speed limits
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2026-02-10 18:07:12 +0000
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/lords/2024-26/HL13916
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- In Solr
- https://search.parliament.uk/claw/solr/?id=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/lords/2024-26/HL13916