The Restricted Roads (20 mph Speed Limit) (Wales) Order 2022 (SI 2022/800) is a statutory instrument made by the Welsh Ministers under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The order reduces the default speed limit on restricted roads in Wales from 30 mph to 20 mph, making Wales the first nation in the United Kingdom, and one of the first countries worldwide, to introduce a national default 20 mph limit. It was approved by Senedd Cymru in July 2022 and came into force on 17 September 2023, affecting around 35% of Welsh roads by length.
The policy was developed following a government-commissioned task force and featured in both Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru’s 2021 Senedd election manifestos. Supporters, including public health experts and road safety campaigners, argue that the change will reduce collisions, save lives, and encourage more walking and cycling. Opponents, including the Welsh Conservatives and campaign groups, have criticised the economic costs and claimed widespread public opposition.
Implementation of the policy has been highly contentious, prompting the largest petition in Senedd history and becoming a significant political issue in Wales. Early monitoring has indicated reductions in traffic speeds and road casualties, though the economic impact remains debated. The legislation has also attracted international attention, aligning with recommendations from the World Health Organisation and similar reforms in Spain and other European countries.
Background Legislative framework Section 81(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 provides that it shall not be lawful for a person to drive a motor vehicle on a restricted road at a speed exceeding 30 miles per hour. Under the act, a road is considered 'restricted' if it has a system of street lighting with lamps placed not more than 200 yards apart. Section 81(2) enables the national authority (being the Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales) by order to increase or reduce the rate of speed fixed by section 81(1).
The power to set national speed limits for restricted roads was devolved to Welsh Ministers through the Wales Act 2017. The Wales Act 2017 was enacted in 2018 and devolved the setting of national speed limits for restricted roads to the Welsh ministers with certain provisos on consulting with the UK Secretary of State and approved by a resolution in the National Assembly for Wales.
Policy development Proposals to introduce 20mph were included in Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru 2021 Senedd election manifestos, and subsequently the new Welsh Government's Programme for Government. The policy was developed following the work of the Welsh 20mph Task Force Group, established in May 2019 to examine the outcomes and practical actions needed to implement a national 20 mph default speed limit.
The "Final Report" was published in July 2020 and included the case for change and 20 recommendations on how to implement such a change. On 15 July 2020 the Senedd debated the findings of the report in a plenary session and passed motion NDM7355 supporting the Welsh Government's intention to set a national 20mph limit for restricted roads subject to subsequent approval by resolution of Senedd.
Provisions Core provision The order reduces the general speed limit for restricted roads from 30 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour in relation to Wales. Accordingly, the reference in section 81(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to "30 miles per hour" is to be interpreted as a reference to "20 miles per hour".
Exceptions process The order does not preclude local authorities from designating exceptions where 30 mph remains appropriate. Highway authorities retain their powers under sections 82(2) and 84(1)(a) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to direct that specific roads should not be treated as restricted roads or to impose different speed limits through traffic regulation orders.
The Welsh Government has provided guidance to help highway authorities make decisions about exceptions. In July 2024, new guidance was provided to highway authorities to help them assess which roads the speed limit could return to 30mph.
Legislative process Consultation Before making the order, the Welsh Ministers were required to consult with the Secretary of State for Transport under section 81(5) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The Secretary of State for Transport was consulted on 7 April 2022. The Minister for Roads, Buses and Places responded on behalf of the Secretary of State on 11 May 2022 indicating that she had no comments to make on the proposed order.
A 12-week public consultation ran from 9 July 2021 to 1 October 2021. 6,018 online responses were received by the Welsh Government in the consultation period. 47% were in favour of reducing the speed limit and 53% were against. However, the majority of organisations—22 of 25—broadly supported the Welsh Government's proposal to reduce the speed limit.
Senedd scrutiny The draft order was laid before Senedd Cymru on 21 June 2022. The motion to approve the draft Order was debated in a plenary session on 12 July 2022, where it was approved by 39 votes to 15. The Order was made by the Welsh Ministers on 13 July 2022 following the resolution of Senedd Cymru to approve the draft.
Implementation timeline There was a longer period than usual between the making of the order and its coming into force on 17 September 2023. This lengthy preparation period was required to enable traffic authorities to review their road networks and determine whether they needed to make orders under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for restricted roads where they considered that the default speed limit of 20 miles per hour would not be appropriate.
Implementation and impact Scope The policy affects restricted roads, which are usually in residential and built-up areas where there are lots of people. They often have street lights placed no more than 200 yards apart. Currently, approximately 35% of Welsh roads by length have a 20mph speed limit under the policy.
Costs The Welsh Government's Regulatory Impact Assessment estimated the direct financial cost at £32.5 million over the period 2022-2027. The main economic dis-benefit was identified as relating to increased journey times from lower average vehicle speeds, with a central estimate of £6.4 billion over 30 years.
Monitoring and evaluation Eight trial 20mph areas were implemented during 2021/22, referred to as Phase 1 of the 20mph programme. Research commissioned by Public Health Wales in 2022 estimates the new 20mph default limit could save more than 100 lives over a decade. In March 2023, the Phase 1 Interim Monitoring Report found that 64% vehicles were travelling at or below 24mph compared to 45% pre-implementation, and that mean speed was reduced by 3mph.
Public and political response Public opinion Public attitudes have fluctuated. The Welsh Government consulted on the proposals in the summer of 2021, with 47% of respondents supporting the change, and 53% opposed. Following implementation, there has been significant public opposition.
Petitions The Welsh Government's 20mph default speed limit policy has been controversial. The Petitions Committee considered the biggest petition in Senedd history which called on the Welsh Government to scrap the policy. It attracted a record breaking 469,571 signatures. The petition was debated in the Senedd on 22 May 2024.
Petition integrity The petition attracted some scrutiny regarding its conduct, with allegations about duplicate signatures and the use of non-Welsh postcodes. However, following an investigation, the Senedd stated there was no evidence of "large-scale duplication or tampering". The investigation found that approximately 94% of the signatures came from people in Wales with valid postcodes and email addresses, with some small scale duplication and "rather bizarre names" such as "Rupert the Bear".
A Senedd spokesperson said: "We allow signatures from outside of Wales, however, the majority of signatures to our petitions, including this one, are from Wales. Each signatory must provide and verify an email address. We have no evidence of large-scale duplication or tampering."
Political response The Senedd rejected a motion calling for the policy to be reversed, instead agreeing an amendment welcoming "the Welsh Government's recognition of the need to refine the implementation". Following changes in leadership, the new First Minister, Vaughan Gething, said the Welsh Government had "got some of the communication side wrong" around the policy.
The Welsh Government subsequently established a review team, led by Phil Jones (who also led the Welsh Government's 2019 task force on 20mph speed limits), to examine how the guidance has been applied. In 2024, the Welsh Government announced changes to the implementation, with the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport, Ken Skates MS, suggesting there was a "need to make sure 20 mph is truly targeted" in places "where children and the elderly are at risk".
Conservative opposition The Welsh Conservatives have been at the forefront of opposition to the policy since implementation. Shadow Transport Minister Natasha Asghar has consistently campaigned for the policy to be scrapped, describing it as "Labour's disastrous 20mph rollout". The party argued that the policy would cost the Welsh economy up to £9 billion and criticised the £32 million implementation cost.
Asghar has advocated for a "targeted approach" to 20mph limits, supporting them "around schools, hospitals, places of worship and high streets" but opposing the blanket implementation. In September 2024, she was formally censured by the Senedd for using the term "blanket" to describe the policy, which the standards committee found to be "imprecise and inaccurate".
The Welsh Conservatives have pledged to scrap the policy if they win power in Wales, with party leader Darren Millar and former leader Andrew RT Davies both calling for its repeal.
UK Conservative manifesto pledge In their 2024 UK general election manifesto, the Conservative Party pledged to reverse Wales' 20mph policy through Westminster legislation if they won the election. The manifesto stated: "We will expand our Backing Drivers' Bill to cover Wales, reversing Labour's blanket 20mph speed limit by requiring local consent for 20mph zones and giving local communities the legal right to challenge existing zones."
However, this pledge faced criticism from Welsh politicians who argued that transport policy is devolved to the Welsh Government and that Westminster intervention would undermine devolution. First Minister Vaughan Gething described the proposal as an "enormous assault" on devolution.
Plaid Cymru position Plaid Cymru has taken a more nuanced position on the policy. While supporting the principle of 20mph limits, the party has acknowledged problems with implementation. During a September 2023 Senedd debate, Plaid Cymru's transport spokesperson Delyth Jewell said there were "problems with how the new 20 mph limits are being rolled out" and called for "continuous reviews of the implementation of the policy and to empower local authorities to be able to make further exemptions".
Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts rejected the Conservative manifesto pledge to overturn the policy, stating: "The UK government has no power over speed limits in Wales. The wheels are coming off Rishi Sunak's campaign and he's hoping that this latest populist tactic will get him back on track."
Reform UK stance Reform UK has positioned itself as opposed to the 20mph policy and has pledged to repeal it if the party came to power in Wales. A Reform UK Wales spokesman confirmed the party's opposition to the default 20mph speed limit and commitment to repealing the policy. The party has attracted support from some anti-20mph campaigners who have become disillusioned with the Welsh Conservatives' approach.