A city council is considering changing the speed limit on 16 roads from 20mph back to 30mph after a public consultation that received over 3,500 responses. Residents in Newport proposed 335 different roads for potential exemption from the default 20mph limit or to remain unchanged.
However, most of these roads did not meet the Welsh Government’s stringent criteria for exemptions. The change in Wales’ default speed limit to 20mph in September 2023 sparked controversy, but with Ken Skates taking the reins as the new transport secretary last year, a fresh public consultation was initiated to identify roads people wanted to see at 30mph.
Newport City Council is now set to issue a Traffic Regulation Order for each of the 16 roads, which will allow the public to comment further on the proposed changes. The council had previously received £94,100 to fund this process. For the latest Newport news, sign up to our newsletter here
Cabinet members are expected to approve the speed limit increase “in principle” for these roads at an upcoming meeting later in January.
These include:
- Caerphilly Road (part)
- Bassaleg Road (part)
- Bettws Lane (part)
- Duffryn Drive
- Duffryn Way
- Frederick Street
- George Street
- Lighthouse Road (part)
- Morgan Way
- Royal Oak Hill (part)
- Tredegar House Drive
- Tregwilym Road (part)
- Usk Road (part)
- Wern Industrial Estate
- West Nash Road (part)
- Wharf Road
The Welsh Government’s decision to reduce the default national speed limit to 20mph in September 2023 sparked controversy. A change in leadership resulted in a policy shift last year, with Mr Skates initiating a fresh public consultation on which roads people wanted to see return to a 30mph limit.