Introducing default 20mph speed limits

Getting the right speed on the right road

We believe that 20mph is right, it will save lives and reduce collisions and injuries. We want to make sure it is targeted on the right roads. 

In 2024, the public have had a chance to suggest where they feel changes should be made.

Highway authorities are now using our revised guidance to assess these suggestions.

Any change in speed limits will need to be made through a traffic regulation order (TRO). This process will take several months to complete.

Trunk roads

The Welsh Government is responsible for the strategic road network in Wales. They are operated by Trunk Road Agents (TRAs) on our behalf. We have started working with the TRAs to review the 20mph speed limits on all 111 sections of trunk road.   

What we did

Wales was one of the first countries in the world, to pass a law changing the speed limit on restricted roads to 20mph.

Restricted roads are usually in residential and built-up areas where there are lots of people. They often have street lights on them, placed no more than 200 yards apart. Historically, these had a 30mph speed limit.

We worked with:

• local authorities, who are responsible for county roads
• Trunk Road Agents (TRAs), who operate the strategic road network for Welsh Government

to identify which roads could stay at 30mph. We issued guidance to help highway authorities make these decisions.

In July 2024, we provided highway authorities with new guidance to help them assess which roads the speed limit could return to 30mph. 

All highway authorities must follow the statutory process on traffic regulation orders to make exceptions.

A map on DataMapWales shows which roads remain at 30mph. 

Road signs

Road signs tell you when you are entering a different speed limit.

Because 20mph is now the default, there will not be repeater signs. Repeater signs are the slightly smaller signs that often appear on streetlights, rather than in pairs.

Why we did it

We made this change to:

• reduce the number of collisions and severe injuries from them (also reducing the impact on the NHS from treating the people who are injured)
• encourage more people to walk and cycle in our communities
• help to improve our health and well-being
• make our streets safer

Early impacts

Before introducing the new speed limit, we trialled it in 8 communities across Wales:

• St Dogmaels, Pembrokeshire
• Llanelli North, Carmarthenshire
• St Brides Major, Vale of Glamorgan
• Central North, Cardiff
• Cilfrew Village, Neath Port Talbot
• Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
• Severnside, Monmouthshire
• Buckley, Flintshire

Overall, we found speed in these areas reduced.

You can read more in the monitoring reports on the Transport for Wales (TfW) website.