People remain very agitated about the whole 20mph thing in Wales. Whenever it's mentioned on social media, there's a pile-on from people wanting to give their opinions. Most of them are negative.
Lots of people simply hate it - either because they think it's unnecessary, it slows everyone down too much, or just because they hate the Government or the 'namby-pamby' state interfering in their lives. There's a bit of a left wing, right thing about it - with the right often opposed and accusing the left of nanny statism.
The whole thing was introduced by the Welsh Government in September, 2023, when the default speed limit was reduced on restricted roads from 30mph to 20mph. It sparked a massive petition with hundreds of thousands of names, a huge row in the Senedd and Parliament, and general discontent across the land.
Its aim was to cut the number of accidents and the seriousness of them, especially on housing estates and busy built-up areas, and the number of crashes has actually fallen since then. In October, 2024, WalesOnline reported how the figure had fallen by almost a quarter on 20mph and 30mph roads, although it was too soon to categorically say the new limit was responsible. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
There's little doubt that if a collision occurs at 20mph, the damage to person and property is likely to be less than if that crash happens at 30mph. There is scientific and real-world evidence to back that up, but it's just common sense really. If any of us have the misfortune of being hit by a car in our lives we'd probably much rather it was travelling as slow as possible at the time.
Others argue that speed limits have not changed in decades, and in that time car braking systems have advanced considerably, along with car design to minimise the damage caused by an impact, and better protect the occupants. They claim crawling along at 20mph is just too much of a restriction on people's lives when you take all these things into account.
Surveys in Wales last year showed that seven in ten people in Wales were opposed to the 20mph speed limit, with 50% of those 'strongly opposed'. The YouGov survey showed strong doubts about whether the new limit could achieve any of its aims, with many believing it would make air quality worse, harm driver safety and make neighbourhoods more noisy, not more quiet.
Last year, the Welsh Government announced that local authorities would be allowed to return some roads to 30mph if they met certain criteria - and many are planning on doing so.
But, whatever your view on the 20mph debate, one thing surprised me greatly when I visited England recently. I expected to be able to coast along at 30mph or above pretty much everywhere. I knew 20mph zones existed in England, but I thought they were mostly limited to outside some schools and in particularly densely populated residential areas, probably accompanied by lots of speed bumps and barriers.
The reality was surprisingly different. 20mph zones were all over the place. I was travelling a lot on the roads of Yorkshire and I was continuously going in and out of 30mph and 20mph zones, on normal roads passing through towns and villages, not hidden away housing estates.
Travel through my home city of Swansea and I'll go from 40mph to 30mph to 20mph on any given journey. But, mostly, going from A to B, I can travel at 30mph or more for much of my trip, especially if i'm traversing some of the main routes criss-crossing the city.
I know different local authorities have their own levels of take-up of the option to keep some roads 30mph. Some areas have fully embraced 20mph, others have taken a more pragmatic approach.
But I have to say, travelling in England really didn't feel hugely different. Perhaps I was in an area that prioritised 20mph more than others, although an internet search reveals many parts of the country have extensive 20mph areas. Bristol introduced a default 20mph limit on most roads in 2012 and Manchester has plans to do the same. Many London boroughs have limited all local roads to 20mph and over the border in Scotland, there are also 20mph plans for most residential areas.
So, while some would have you believe that Wales is somehow unique in its approach to 20mph, that does not seem to be the case. And, certainly, from personal experience, I found travelling in England not too dissimilar from going about my business here. The debate will go on, no doubt - but don't for one minute think that this is just a Wales issue - it clearly isn't.
