20mph speed limit consultation 2026
Background
Just over 10 years ago, the speed limit on most of Bristol's roads was reduced to 20mph.
Residents told us that 20mph made:
- the roads feel calmer
- walking to school, work, or the shops feel safer
- cycling feel less intimidating
The changes have prevented hundreds of crashes and saved lives.
Why 20mph
Evidence continues to show that 20mph prevents around 1 in 5 crashes, helps protect people walking, cycling, and driving, and creates calmer, safer streets.
Young children cannot reliably judge faster traffic. This makes crossing the road more dangerous for them.
- At 20mph, a car can stop in about 12 metres (around three car lengths)
- At 30mph, the car would still be travelling at around 27mph after 12 metres
This can be the difference between a scary near miss and a serious injury.
Other reasons for 20mph
In busy cities like Bristol, journey times are mostly affected by traffic lights, junctions, and the the amount of vehicles using the roads. Speed limits have only a small effect. The average driving speed in the city is less than 14mph.
The latest evidence also shows that 20mph speed limits reduce fuel costs and improve air quality in urban areas. You can read more evidence about 20mph speed limits on our website.
Enforcement
Speed limits are enforced by police, not Bristol City Council. We do not receive any income for fines issued for speeding. Fines go directly to national government.
Tell us what you think
To build on the success of the 85% of Bristol’s roads that are already 20mph, we’ve carried out a street-by-street assessment of all remaining 30mph roads.
Following the review, we’re proposing to reduce speed limits from 30mph to 20mph on around 100 roads.
For other roads, we propose to keep the 30mph speed limit unchanged. On most of these a lower speed limit would not currently be appropriate. However, there are a small number where your feedback will help inform a final decision.
We now want your feedback on these proposals, especially on the roads that you use regularly, whether you live nearby, visit the area, or travel through as part of a longer journey.
The consultation is open from 2 April 2026 until midnight on Sunday 17 May 2026.
Alternative formats
If you need this survey in a different format, you can request this by:
- email: consultation@bristol.gov.uk
- phone: 0117 922 2848
A different format could be:
- a paper copy
- Easy Read
- large print
- braille
- British Sign Language
- a different language
Waxaad codsan kartaa qaabab kale oo dukumeentigan ah adigoo la xiriiraya consultation@bristol.gov.uk ama 0117 922 2848
Możesz poprosić o alternatywne formaty tego dokumentu, kontaktując się z consultation@bristol.gov.uk lub 0117 922 2848
Puteți solicita formate alternative ale acestui document contactând consultation@bristol.gov.uk sau 0117 922 2848
يمكنك طلب تنسيقات بديلة لهذا المستند عن طريق االتصال بـ
consultation@bristol.gov.uk
أو
0117 922 2848
تاسو کولی شئ د دې سند بديل فارميټونو غوښتنه وکړئ
consultation@bristol.gov.uk
يا
0117 922 2848
What happens next
We'll carefully consider all responses, before developing a final set of proposals. The final proposals together with feedback from this consultation will be considered by the council's Transport and Connectivity Policy Committee which will decide how to proceed in summer or early autumn 2026.
Further information
We want to make our roads safer using evidence of what works, so we've looked at research and good practice from similar cities in the UK and elsewhere to help us shape our 20mph plans.
Sources and research that supports our 20mph plans are all available on the Bristol's better at 20 website.
These are the main benefits of 20mph:
Safer roads for all
On shared roads where people walk, cycle, scoot, motorcycle, and drive, there is clear evidence that 20mph is the maximum safe speed.
20mph limits across the UK and elsewhere have been shown to effectively improve safety and reduce collisions and injuries by 20%. That makes 20mph one of the most effective road safety interventions available.
Fewer serious collisions
Independent research found that the 20mph speed limits introduced by Bristol City Council in 2012 significantly reduced the number of fatal, serious, and slight injuries from road traffic collisions.
Walking, cycling and scooting to school
We want to make sure children are safe travelling to and from school.
Younger children can't reliably tell how fast vehicles are going if they're driving over 25mph. This means 30mph roads are unsafe for them, even when drivers are alert and driving responsibly.
Community-wide benefits
Slower vehicle speeds and more walking and cycling can make our communities more pleasant and reduce anti‑social road noise.
Local high streets are the hearts of our communities. A 20mph limit helps ensure neighbourhoods aren't cut in two by dangerous traffic, which helps local shops, clubs and communities thrive.
Health, wellbeing, and active lives
Most people in Bristol say that more 20mph roads would help them walk and cycle more.
More walking and cycling mean fewer trips by car and less congestion when you do need to drive.
Keeping Bristol moving
Driving journey time is mainly impacted by:
- congestion
- junctions and traffic lights
- for buses, pick-up and drop-off
That makes 20mph a win-win, safer roads without longer journey times.
Cleaner air and cheaper fuel
30mph encourages fast acceleration and harsher braking between traffic lights, without speeding up your journey. That means more emissions and higher fuel costs.
Many factors impact air quality, but 20mph limits on average offer 18% improvements in air quality and save drivers up to 7% in fuel costs.
20mph is more efficient in cities unless you drive continuously at 30mph for 1km, which just isn't possible in busy urban areas.
Cheaper insurance for Bristolians
The insurance industry is driven by data and does a huge amount of analysis on claims and crashes.
The insurance industry is now working to make premiums match local speed limits in England. This could lead to lower insurance costs for Bristolians.
Keeping it simple: knowing where to drive at 20mph
Some 20mph and 30mph roads in Bristol look similar. They have houses either side, cars parked along the kerb, people walking and cycling, and generally slow moving traffic, but different speed limits. This is confusing for everyone.
The 20mph review aims to make speed limits consistent across Bristol, with 20mph in the areas where we live, learn and work.
Key dates
- Start date: 2 April 2026
- End date: 17 May 2026