I almost missed the decision last week by the Welsh Senedd to approve the lowering of the National speed limit on residential roads in Wales from 30mph to 20mph. The default speed limit on residential roads in Wales is now 20mph. The new legislation will not apply a blanket speed limit on all roads, it will simply make the default limit 20mph, leaving local authorities to engage with the local community to decide which roads should remain at 30mph. Currently, just 2.5% of Welsh roads have a speed limit of 20mph, but from next year this is expected to increase to approximately 35%.
The question here is whether the changes will become the norm with drivers accepting the big change with an open mind or will enforcement be the only way to ensure by September 2023 everyone driving in Wales is compliant.
