Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to unveil a new ‘plan for motorists’ which includes limiting the number of new 20mph speed restrictions.
Mr Sunak is also expected to restrict the number of hours a day that cars are banned from bus lanes, and scale back low-traffic neighbourhoods in a bid to win votes from drivers.
He is expected to announce the new proposals at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on Monday.
It would be a contentious move as it pits the government against local authorities, which usually manage and control these measures.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said the reports were ‘speculation’.
Downing Street has not yet commented.
Sarah Mitchell, chief executive of charity Cycling UK, said: ‘When Beeching took an axe to local railways in the 1960s, we were robbed of the freedom to choose how we travel.
‘The government’s reported “plan for motorists” feels like history repeating itself.
‘We need a holistic plan for how people can travel – not a plan that zooms in on one particular mode of transport.
‘Better public transport and safer ways for people to cycle and walk are entirely compatible with driving.
‘Focusing on one way of travelling is like trying to complete a jigsaw with half the pieces missing.’
Wales recently became the first country in the UK to drop the default speed limit from 30mph to 20mph for restricted roads.
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Mr Sunak is clearly setting up opposing stances to the Labour Party ahead of the next general election, which must take place before the end of January 2025.
He has made several controversial policy decisions in recent days, including the toning down of net zero targets such as delaying a ban on the sales of new petrol and diesel cars and phasing out gas boilers until 2035.
It has also been suggested he may scale back plans for the massively over-budget HS2 rail line, but he has not yet confirmed this.
The PM carried out 34 separate interviews with local BBC and ITV outlets yesterday and was repeatedly asked about the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the rail link – but he would not commit to it.
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