20mph limits and bus gates planned for Birmingham as major project moves forward
Bus gates and 20mph speed limits could soon be introduced on certain roads in Birmingham city centre as a major project moves forwards.
The Sprint initiative aims to connect Walsall, Birmingham and Solihull through one continuous bus route along the A34 and A45.
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) said the scheme will make journey times quicker and more predictable, adding that phase one of the project saw the extension of bus lanes and installation of enhanced bus shelters.
It also said these shelters will be served by articulated buses with multiple doors in the future in a bid to speed up boarding and reduce waiting time at stops.
The Sprint project has now moved onto phase two, which will see additional bus priority measures and enhanced shelters between Solihull and Walsall town centres, and in Birmingham city centre.
Phase two improvements have already been undertaken along the A34 between Scott Arms and New Town Row.
And now plans for further measures covering the city centre, between Lancaster Street and Moor Street Queensway, have taken a step forward.
A public consultation on these proposals for the centre of Birmingham was undertaken by TfWM back in May 2025.
Birmingham City Council has today, February 27, launched a new consultation on the traffic regulation orders, which are the legal documentation required to make changes to the status of the road.
They include a number of changes, including proposals to ‘vary and introduce’ bus lanes and bus only roads on lengths of:
Moor Street Queensway
James Watt Queensway (including the section formally known as Chapel Street)
Corporation Street
Lancaster Circus Queensway (underpass)
Lancaster Street
A 20mph speed limit is also planned to be introduced along lengths of:
James Watt Queensway
Lancaster Circus Queensway (underpass)
Lancaster Street
You can find all the planned changes in the city centre on the Birmingham Be Heard website.
On why Sprint is needed, TfWM said the region is growing and that the population of the West Midlands is set to increase by up to 444,000 by 2035.
“We expect 215,000 new homes to be built across the region by 2030,” it previously said.
“In the same period, we anticipate that business investment will generate an additional 50,000 jobs, while the introduction of HS2 will open our connections to a wider area.
“We also want growth to be inclusive and sustainable so that everyone can benefit from the opportunities it will bring.
“Investment in our passenger transport network will help provide the capacity and quality of service we need, while helping to keep our region moving.”
It added: “Dedicated bus lanes, priority signalling at junctions and swifter movement of passengers on and off buses, means that journey times will be quicker and more predictable without buses going any faster.”
