How Has Wales’ 20mph Speed Limit Affected Road Safety and Communities?

Wales has established a default 20mph speed limit on restricted roads in residential and urban areas, a pioneering policy to reduce accidents, enhance safety, and foster healthier communities.

Wales legislated a default 20mph speed limit on restricted roads, typically in residential and urban areas with street lights no more than 200 yards apart, effective from September 2023.

Vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, car-derived vans, dual-purpose vehicles, motorhomes, buses, coaches, minibuses, and goods vehicles (both under and over 7.5 tonnes maximum laden weight), must adhere to the 20mph (32km/h) limit in Wales.

The Welsh Government, responsible for the strategic road network, collaborates with Trunk Road Agents (TRAs) to review 20mph limits on all 111 sections of trunk roads.

Purpose and Impact

The 20mph limit aims to reduce accidents and severe injuries, ease the burden on the NHS, encourage walking and cycling, improve health and well-being, and make streets safer. Data from 2024 shows accidents on 20mph and 30mph roads reached a record low in the first full year since the change. 

A trial in eight communities—St Dogmaels (Pembrokeshire), Llanelli North (Carmarthenshire), St Brides Major (Vale of Glamorgan), Central North (Cardiff), Cilfrew Village (Neath Port Talbot), Abergavenny (Monmouthshire), Severnside (Monmouthshire), and Buckley (Flintshire)—demonstrated reduced vehicle speeds.

Exceptions and Adjustments

Local Authority Discretion

Local authorities, responsible for county roads, work with TRAs to identify roads suitable for retaining a 30mph limit, guided by Welsh Government directives. In July 2024, new guidance was issued to help highway authorities assess which roads could revert to 30mph, following public suggestions in 2024 for potential changes. Any speed limit change requires a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), a statutory process that takes several months. A map on DataMapWales indicates which roads remain at 30mph.

Road Signage

Road signs mark entry into different speed limit zones, but as 20mph is the default, repeater signs (smaller signs on streetlights) are not used.

Speed Limits on Other Roads

Single and Dual Carriageways, Motorways

On single carriageways, cars, motorcycles, car-derived vans, dual-purpose vehicles, and motorhomes (not exceeding 3.05 tonnes unladen weight) have a 60mph (96km/h) limit, while those towing caravans or trailers are capped at 50mph (80km/h). Buses, coaches, and minibuses (up to 12 meters) also have a 50mph limit, as do goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes in England and Wales, while in Scotland, they are limited to 40mph (64km/h). 

On dual carriageways, the limit for cars and lighter motorhomes is 70mph (112km/h), but 60mph for towed vehicles, buses over 12 meters, and goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes. Motorways allow 70mph for cars, lighter motorhomes, and smaller goods vehicles, but 60mph for towed vehicles, larger buses, and heavier goods vehicles in England and Wales, with Scotland maintaining the same for heavier goods vehicles.

Locally Set Limits

Local councils can set specific speed limits, such as 20mph zones near schools or 50mph on roads with sharp bends, clearly signed to indicate changes.

Vehicle-Specific Regulations

Vans and Motorhomes

Most vans follow speed limits for goods vehicles of the same weight, with vehicles under 2 tonnes laden weight qualifying as car-derived vans or dual-purpose vehicles, adhering to car speed limits (20mph in Wales’ urban areas). 

Motorhomes over 3.05 tonnes unladen weight, or those used for exhibition, sale, workshops, or storage, are classified as goods vehicles, following the respective limits (e.g., 20mph in urban areas, 50mph on single carriageways).

Speed Limiters

Vehicles with more than eight passenger seats (e.g., buses, coaches, stretch limousines) and goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes maximum laden weight must have speed limiters to reduce accidents by restricting fuel supply, potentially preventing them from reaching the legal speed limit.

No Plans for Further Reduction

Transport Secretary Ken Skates confirmed there are no plans to reduce speed limits to 10mph in Wales, despite Trefnydd Jane Hutt calling a 5mph or 10mph limit “notable” in response to a Road Safety Foundation report. The Road Safety Foundation clarified it made no specific recommendations for 5mph or 10mph limits, noting that translating their findings into policy is complex and requires further work on speed management guidelines. 

Hutt emphasized that the 20mph rollout has saved lives, reduced insurance costs, and gained public support. Former Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies called the idea of further reductions “absurd.” A YouGov poll revealed 52% of Britons oppose a 10mph limit.

Conclusion

Wales’ default 20mph speed limit on restricted roads, implemented in September 2023, marks a remarkable step toward safer, healthier communities, with 2024 data showing reduced accidents. 

While local authorities can adjust limits via TROs, and higher limits apply on carriageways and motorways, the Welsh Government’s focus remains on the proven benefits of 20mph zones, with no plans to lower limits further despite speculative discussions.