20 mph Speed Limits For Brighton & Hove

Brighton & Hove City Council has started putting up the new 20mph speed limit road signs and markings for residential and shopping streets in the city.

Phase 1 of the scheme will come into force covering the city centre from 8 April 2013, from when the 20mph limit will be legally enforceable. Until then, all current limits remain in place. See a map of which roads are changing here

Brighton and Hove Council say: "We have started installing the road markings, signs and poles. The first signs are being put in around Sackville Road and Old Shoreham Road in Hove and then will roll across the Phase 1 area. Depending on the weather, we are expecting that it will take around four to six weeks for all the signage and road markings to be installed. Initially all the signage will be covered as the new limit will not yet be legally enforceable.

The aim of the programme is to improve the street environment for all road users, including car drivers, by reducing the number and severity of collisions and casualties on the city’s roads, improving traffic flows and making the city a safer and better place to live in.

We hope that making the streets safer and more pleasant to use will encourage more cycling and walking especially for local trips. This will not only bring road safety benefits, but will also help to improve overall health and wellbeing, reduce congestion and could improve air quality.

Following Phase 1, the programme is then proposed to be rolled out city wide, with further consultation on the later phases, over the next two to three years. The overall project budget is £1.5m spread over three to four years but this will be reviewed annually.

Following public consultation in 2012 and a growing number of petitions from local communities, a clear majority of residents across the city have told us they are in favour of the reduced limit for residential and local shopping areas.

National and international research is increasingly showing that a 20mph speed limit leads to a reduction in road collisions and the severity of casualties, improves in the quality of life of local neighbourhoods and encourages more walking and cycling for local trips. This in turn would bring significant health benefits and reduce congestion, all of which should make our city a better place to live, work in and visit.

Which roads will be included?

The first phase includes most of the residential streets in central Brighton & Hove, plus the commercial heart of the city. Most major roads and the more significant or arterial routes beyond the Phase 1 central area are proposed to remain at  their current limits, including the A259 seafront road, Old Shoreham Road, New Church Road, Ditchling Road, London Road and Lewes Road.

Is my street/neighbourhood included?

All streets within the Phase 1 area will be included. We will consult further on the neighbourhoods and individual roads included in later phases, beginning later this year. You can see the current map of the proposed areas for each phase here


The 20mph limits will be enforced in the same way that the 30mph has been.