Hundreds caught out breaking 20mph limit
MORE than 1,500 people were caught breaking the 20mph speed limit in April, by far the highest monthly figure since enforcement began. The average speeds of people caught breaking the limit were more than 30mph in both South and North Wales – the highest average speed in either area since the speed limits changed.
Data from road safety body GoSafe shows a steady increase in the last six months in the number of people being caught exceeding the 20mph speed limit, up from 95 in November last year.
The figures have steadily increased in GoSafe’s south and mid Wales region and increased dramatically in April when hundreds of offences were recorded in North Wales.
The average speed for those caught breaking the limit in the mid & south Wales area was 30.4mph in April, an increase from a previous high of 28.5mph in March.
In North Wales it was 30.1mph, up from 28.8mph in March (the only previous month of data for the area).
In mid and South Wales, the fastest driver caught in a 20mph zone was driving at 70mph – while in north Wales the fastest was travelling at 51mph.
The data doesn’t necessarily mean people are driving faster overall than they used to in these zones (as it does not account for people driving slower to meet the new limit) – only that those breaking the limit are doing so at a higher speed than in September.
Enforcement was initially frozen when the policy first came into force in September to allow people and councils to adapt to the limit, and started in November 2023 only in areas that were already 20mph and had the correct signage in place.
GoSafe, responsible for enforcing the limit, took an approach dubbed ‘Operation Ugain,’ in which drivers caught exceeding 26mph in areas covered by the 20mph speed limit were given the chance to attend a short informational session rather than be fined or prosecuted.
Operation Ugain remains in place but since March 18 speeding offences have been automatically enforced in areas deemed to be more dangerous.
The Welsh Government announced a “genuine listening exercise” over the 20mph policy in April, which will see it engage with local people, councils and others before changing some speed limits back to 30mph.
Councils already had some (limited) discretion over which roads and it is not yet known how many roads could change back.
Welsh Government data from 202021 shows that 870km of roads were 20mph and 13,085km were 30mph roads. The same data table from September 2023, just after this law change, shows 12,975km of roads are 20mph and 980km are 30mph.