BRIEFING PAPER Number CBP00468, 21 September 2017 By Louise Butcher Speed limits in England Contents: 1. Legislation 2. Guidance 3. Urban areas (20 mph) 4. Villages and rural areas 5. Motorways (80 mph) 6. Enforcement 7. Government policy, 1997- www.parliament.uk/commons-library | intranet.parliament.uk/commons-library |
[email protected] | @commonslibrary 2 Speed limits in England Contents Summary 3 1. Legislation 4 1.1 History 5 2. Guidance 7 3. Urban areas (20 mph) 10 3.1 Effects and impacts 11 4. Villages and rural areas 13 5. Motorways (80 mph) 16 6. Enforcement 18 6.1 Enforcing 20 mph limits 19 6.2 Changes to levels of speeding fines, 2017 20 6.3 Diversionary courses 21 6.4 Pre-empting the problem: limiting speed; raising awareness 22 7. Government policy, 1997- 26 7.1 Labour Government, 1997-2010 26 7.2 Conservative-led governments, 2010- 27 Cover page image copyright Ian Carroll – Speed limit 50, 2 February 2013 via Flickr/Creative Commons 3 Commons Library Briefing, 21 September 2017 Summary This paper sets out the legislation and guidance on speed limits and how highways authorities can vary limits in their areas. It also explains policy towards 20 mph, motorway and rural speed limits and how speed limits are enforced. Finally, it summarises the policies of successive governments towards speed limits. In built up areas the general speed limit is 30mph; on single carriageway roads it is 60 mph and on dual carriageways, 70 mph. However, highway authorities have the power to vary the speed limits on the roads they control – for example in urban areas, particularly around schools, there has been a growing trend for local highway authorities to reduce the limit to 20 mph.