Detailed plans for wholesale 20 mph speed limits within Birmingham's middle ring road are being put out for public consultation starting this week.

Houses, flats and businesses within the A4540 ring road, including areas like the Jewellery Quarter and Digbeth, will be contacted by postcard over the proposals to cut speeds on most streets from 2016.

It is the latest stage in the council's '20 is plenty' policy to roll out the lower speed limits across the city over the next few years in a bid to make streets more pedestrian friendly and cut road casualties.

Main arterial routes, including A roads, will retain their higher speed limits, while some variable limits will cut speeds outside schools at busy times.

City green chief Lisa Trickett  (Lab, Moseley and Kings Heath) said: "We know from other towns and cities that 20 is Plenty can make a positive difference to road safety here in Birmingham.

"But it is understandable there are some concerns about this proposal which is why we want to make our period of formal public consultation as accessible as possible so we can explain the aims of the scheme.

"The pilot areas have been selected on the basis of their accident records and the initial support for safety improvements - and it must be stressed this is just one improvement among a much wider range of initiatives and projects that we are working on to reduce speed and improve road safety, and the environment."

Staff will holding five exhibitions of the plans at various locations within the ring road between September 20 and October 11 to answer questions and received comments.

The consultation closes on October 17 and plans will be finalised ready for the limit to be introduced in 2016.

Any lessons learned will be taken on board before plans for the remainder of the city are drawn up in 2016/17.

City development chief Coun Tahir Ali said: "This period of public consultation will give people a great opportunity to find out more about our scheme and to help us deliver the best scheme possible."

Details of the consultation can be found at: www.birmingham.gov.uk/20mph

The exhibitions are:

Saturday 20 September, Birmingham Council House, 11am to 3pm

Thursday 25 September, Stanhope Hall Community Centre, 3pm to 7pm

Thursday 2 October, Jewellery Quarter Conference Centre, 3pm to 7pm

Thursday 9 October, The Signing Tree Conference Centre, 3pm to 7pm

Saturday 11 October, Birmingham Council House, 11am to 3pm