Labour has pledged support for local authorities to make decisions on 20mph limits and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), counteracting measures by the previous government to clamp down on “anti-motorist” measures.

The Transport Secretary said speed limits were “entirely up for local areas to decide”

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh told the Streets Ahead podcast that councils will have her “ full support to roll out schemes”, reversing the “culture wars” under the former Conservative administration.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had sought to clamp down on 20mph zones and LTNs as part of a crackdown on “anti-driver” road schemes and “over-zealous” traffic enforcement.

In March, the Department for Transport (DfT) launched new guidance on LTNs requiring local authorities to gain buy-in from local residents, businesses and emergency services when considering implementing new schemes.

Councils were also given stricter guidance on setting 20mph speed limits, reminding them to reserve them for sensible and appropriate areas” only – such as outside schools.

The measures – part of the Plan for Drivers launched in October 2023 – were said to have safety and local support at their heart and followed a backlash over the Welsh government’s £34m default 20mph policy. However, fleet organisations such as Venson and FleetCheck said 20mph zones had clear safety benefits and should be welcomed by fleets.

Ms Haigh said the previous government’s actions had left many local authorities “in limbo and paralysis” following investments in active travel.

“It’s really, really difficult for local authorities when they’ve not got that air cover from government,” she said.

“And not only did they not have the air cover, they had the Government actively working against them saying ‘No, you’re not allowed to roll out 20mph zones, no, you’re not allowed to roll out LTNs’.

“Those kinds of decisions should absolutely be made at a local level by communities and not dictated to or stoked up by the centre.”

The Transport Secretary added that speed limits were “entirely up for local areas to decide”.

“It was completely wrong for the previous government to say that they would dictate that from Whitehall,” Haigh elaborated. “There’s no way me, sitting in my office in the DfT, can say ‘This road in Chester should be a 20mph road’ or not. It’s completely ridiculous.”

However, Haigh stressed the need for collaboration with the local populace.

“It all has to be done with communities, absolutely, and the worst thing you can do is put the wrong schemes in because then it erodes that support and they can be unsafe in some circumstances.”

The RAC agreed with Haigh’s statements that local authorities are best placed to decide which roads are most suitable for 20mph limits, and where LTNs make the most sense.

But RAC head of policy Simon Williams said there was a good argument for central government to provide councils with refreshed, crystal-clear guidance on the implementation of both, to avoid the sorts of problems that have cropped up in different parts of the country.

“For instance, LTNs should have strong community support and the impacts on users of motorised vehicles, especially those who need to drive for work, should be properly considered alongside all other road users,” he elaborated.

“When it comes to 20mph limits, councils should ensure the roads chosen are really appropriate – for instance, those in heavily built-up areas or close to schools – and avoid chopping and changing guidance as we’ve seen happen in Wales.”