Labour has endorsed guidance recommending 20mph-or-lower design speeds for new housing developments, alongside street layouts intended to reduce vehicle speeds and encourage walking, cycling and car sharing. The guidance is not presented as a nationwide legal requirement, but it signals the Government’s support for planning estates around lower traffic speeds and reduced reliance on private cars.

The Building for a Healthy Life guidance recommends traffic calming, narrower junction corners of up to three metres, unallocated on-street parking, car clubs and greater pedestrian and cycle priority. England’s deputy chief medical officer said these measures could make healthier travel choices easier, while the Alliance of British Drivers argued that broad 20mph limits inconvenience motorists and could increase emissions; the article also notes Birmingham’s plan to apply 20mph limits to non-A roads and £7.3 billion in planned local-road maintenance funding over four years.