This week, Sustrans welcomed Birmingham City Council’s public consultation for 20mph on 90% of the city’s roads and urged the public to support these proposals.

This consultation could not have come at a better time for Birmingham residents. Year after year, city residents have told us that speeding traffic is a huge problem in their communities with many feeling that their roads are not cycle or pedestrian friendly.

A recent survey of schoolchildren aged showed that over 70% of children would be able to walk and cycle more if roads in their neighbourhood were less dangerous. A 20mph speed limit would create places where everyone was safer and wanted to be.

Having 20mph as a city-wide speed limit has wider implications for residents than simply making traffic less dangerous. Neighbourhoods with slower traffic have more social cohesion and an improved sense of community as people actually interact with their neighbours and more kids are playing out.

A reduction in speed limit also carries some real health benefits. Getting people to incorporate walking or cycling for more of their everyday journeys, whether it's the school run, commuting or going to the shops will help improve the nation's health. Inactive lifestyles are costing the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds a year many people are put off from walking or cycling because of safety concerns.

Last but not least, the environmental case means that slower speeds would result in drivers reducing their fuel consumption. Travelling at a slower and smoother pace - along with less stop-start driving, is key to reducing carbon emissions from cars and improving the quality of the air we breathe.

Traffic is a part of modern life but it doesn’t have to dominate it, especially outside our own front doors. Speed is a huge factor in how people perceive and interact with their street– now is the time to take that next step and go 20mph city-wide.

Yvonne Gilligan is Sustrans regional director