Dear culture-war motorists, look to the future. We'll all be driving at 20mph soon | Christian Wolmar

There are howls of protest from the right about plans for Birmingham to be a 20mph city. But it will be a good thing, and others will follow If it can happen in Birmingham, it can happen anywhere. Moves by Birmingham city council to impose a 20mph speed limit on all roads, apart from a few major thoroughfares, marks a turning point in transport policy that could and should attract imitators. Remember that in the 60s Birmingham was the city that had a racetrack ​style networks of roads at its heart, ​and a tangle of elevated ro​utes and roundabouts that pushed pedestrians underground and ensured no one would be mad enough to try to cycle. Moreover, it was the headquarters of the UK’s car industry, and its roads were designed more as a test track for new models than a way for people to get to the shops. The emphasis on roads above all else was a deliberate strategy by a city that saw its future inextricably bound up with motoring manufacturers. This ode to the motorcar has gradually been dismantled over the past couple of decades, with the removal of roads turning the city centre into a far more pedestrian-friendly environment. The tram system is being expanded and soon – w