Sweeping new speed limit for Birmingham set to arrive
Birmingham City Council is set to slash the speed limit to 30mph on almost all its roads following a successful pilot scheme.
Birmingham City Council has announced plans to make 30mph the speed limit on virtually all roads in the city later this year. The move comes off the back of new figures showing an 18 per cent drop in people killed or seriously injured on the region’s roads in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
Between January and June 2025, West Midlands Police recorded 471 people killed or seriously injured, down from 575 in 2024. That’s 100 fewer families facing the devastation of a serious crash. According to the Mayor of Birmingham, Richard Parker, it's just the start.
The Regional Road Safety Partnership has been hitting speeding and dangerous driving hard, with a ‘tripling’ of enforcement since last year. In June alone, mobile vans recorded 3,781 offences, motorway cameras detected 4,582 instances, and the average-speed camera network registered 28,287 offences.
For motorcyclists, that means there’s even less margin for letting the speedo creep up. The crackdown also includes increased review of dashcam footage, funding for more speed camera sites, and “school street” schemes that block through-traffic entirely in certain areas.
The UK’s first-ever Regional Road Safety Commissioner, Mat MacDonald, is spearheading the work. Mayor Parker says the plan is delivering results but insists “every life lost is one too many,” promising continued investment in safety measures and further enforcement.
West Midlands Chief Constable Craig Guildford says the region is “bucking national trends” thanks to cooperation between police, councils, and communities.
Cllr Majid Mahmood, Birmingham’s cabinet member for environment and transport, was blunt: “Driving is a privilege, not a right. Swift and decisive action will be taken against those who break the rules.”
For bikers, the picture’s mixed. Slower roads could mean fewer SMIDSYs turning tragic, but the West Midlands’ rapidly expanding speed enforcement network could also mean you have to reevaluate your morning commute.
Whether it’s a life-saving shift, or a war on fun, or (as many think) a cash grab to boost the council’s coffers, one thing’s certain; West Midlands riders will be living life in the slow lane before the year is out.
Find the latest motorcycle news on Visordown.com.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
