It’s been more than a year since one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in the history of Welsh devolution came into force for the first time. The introduction of a 20mph default speed limit, which came into force on all restricted roads in September 2023, has been hugely contentious throughout Wales ever since the legislation was officially approved in the Senedd in July 2022.
In 2024 Lee Waters MS, the politician responsible for the rollout of the 20mph limit, accepted there were “things the Welsh Government should have done differently” after more than 450,000 people signed a petition calling for it to be scrapped. For the latest Carmarthenshire news sign up to our newsletter here.
While the term ‘scrapped’ may be too strong to describe what happens next Wales’ transport secretary Ken Skates has confirmed many restricted roads across the country will see their speed limit revert back to 30mph after he admitted “there is generally universal support for 20mph being targeted in areas where there are schools, built-up areas like housing estates, and outside hospitals and so forth but in many areas routes that shouldn’t have been included were”.
Mr Skates added: “We’ve put our hands up to say ‘the guidance has to be corrected’. This will enable councils to revert back those routes that are not appropriate. Whether the change will be radical will largely depend on what people want. I want communities to own speed limit decisions rather than having them imposed upon them.”
The change from a 30mph to a 20mph default speed limit has proved controversial across every part of Wales and Carmarthenshire is no different. We drove around the county’s second biggest town, Carmarthen, shortly after the legislation came into force and discovered the pros and cons of driving in built-up areas at a maximum speed of 20mph with some roads appearing to be more suitable for the new limit than others. You can read more about what it’s like driving around Carmarthen at 20mph here.
More than a year on we’ve obtained data which shows how many people have been caught driving above the speed limit on 20mph roads in Carmarthenshire over a period of one year as well as the average offence speed and the highest offence speed. According to statistics obtained via a freedom of information (FOI) request made to South Wales Police – the force which collates the data in the south of the country – there were no offences recorded in September, October, November, and December 2023 as police gave people time to adjust to the new limit and offered guidance as opposed to handing out penalties.
There were five offences recorded in January 2024 across Carmarthenshire and none in February but then in March there was a steep climb in the number of people caught speeding above 20mph. This was due to a data monitoring period coming to an end which had focused more on roadside engagement sessions rather than actually penalising drivers for speeding. In March there were 28 offences recorded across the county. That number dropped to 13 in April but then shot up to 64 in May. It dipped again in June (47 offences) and was consistent in July (49 offences) before more than doubling in August with 118 offences recorded.
By September the number of offences recorded skyrocketed with 675 people caught speeding in 20mph zones across Carmarthenshire. The average speed being driven by people caught in that month was 29.6mph, almost 10mph over the limit, while the highest offence speed recorded was 48mph, which is almost two and a half times the new speed limit. In total between September 2023 and September 2024 there were 999 speeding offences recorded on 20mph roads in Carmarthenshire as a whole with an average offence speed of 29mph. The highest offence speed across the whole period was 48mph.
Across the whole of south and mid Wales during the same period 31,233 offences were recorded, according to data released by GoSafe Cymru, with an average speed offence of 28mph. The highest offence speed recorded came in May 2024 when a driver was clocked doing 88mph on a 20mph road.
Edward Thomas, cabinet member for transport, waste, and infrastructure services at Carmarthenshire Council said speeds were down on roads overall, citing the fact that more than 7,000 people were caught speeding on 30mph roads between September 2022 and the end of August 2023 in the period before the 20mph rollout. Mr Thomas said: “We will need to compare these figures against a full 12 months of enforcement data since the implementation of the Welsh Government’s 20mph default speed limit to understand the full impact.”
He added: “Carmarthenshire Council is in the process of finalising its review of the feedback it received from members of the public and local communities following the online survey that was open throughout the summer. The assessment of roads in line with the updated Welsh Government exceptions guidance will be completed in the new year and this will then be followed by a period of consultation with statutory stakeholders and local communities where changes are proposed. If a recommendation is made to proceed with any proposed changes to the speed limit then a legal process will commence to introduce a supporting traffic regulation order. This process will provide a further opportunity for members of the public to comment on any changes before the final decision is made. Safety will be at the heart of any final decision.”
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