Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to reduce speeding on rural roads in Newbury constituency.

As part of the Road Safety Strategy, published on 7 January 2026, the department is exploring new sub-categories for rural roads to help target safety and speed management interventions more effectively, ensuring resources are focused where they will have the greatest impact.

Local authorities have a duty under section 122 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to manage the safe movement of vehicular and other traffic, including pedestrians, and are best placed to assess matters such as speed management interventions.

Responsible authorities are asked to have regard to the Department for Transport’s Setting Local Speed Limits guidance, which ensures speed limits are set appropriately and consistently while allowing flexibility to respond to local circumstances.

As committed to in the Strategy, the Government will be updating this guidance to further support local authorities in making well‑informed decisions about managing speed on their roads. Final decisions on local speed limits remain with the relevant authority, working with the police who are responsible for enforcement.