20mph speed limit change to be reversed on some Cardiff roads

The maximum speed limit on four busy roads in Cardiff will be changed back to 30mph from 20mph.

A review of the Welsh government's 20mph speed limit was announced last year following a public backlash.

The 20mph speed limit, covering 37% of the Welsh road network, was brought in by the Welsh government in September 2023.

Cardiff council said the proposed changes should help ease congestion on main roads in and out of the city.

The local authority listened to views of residents, businesses and transport companies before making its decision.

More stretches of road are expected to revert to 30mph, especially those away from built-up areas.

Last month, it was announced that 50 stretches of road in Wrexham would revert to 30mph.

The council reviewed 192 roads, but many requests were not eligible due to various factors, including road characteristics and location.

The affected routes include sections of Newport Road, Ocean Way, Hadfield Road, and a small part of Western Avenue.

Cardiff council asked the public, bus companies, local councillors, MPs, Senedd members, and other city stakeholders on which roads should revert to 30mph and their reasons why.

It received 933 requests to revert the speed limit across 232 roads.

However, 40 roads were disqualified due to not having a 20mph limit or being outside Cardiff, and of the 192 roads reviewed, 178 received fewer than 10 requests.

Excalibur Drive, in north Cardiff received the most requests - 207 from 26 residents, but it did not qualify, as it surrounds numerous properties and community facilities.

The roads that will revert back to 30mph are:

• Newport Road: All of Newport Road - except for a section of carriageway which runs outside St Illtyd's Catholic School.
• Western Avenue: A small section of this road west of the Taff River Bridge and to the junction with Cardiff Road/Llandaff Road.
• Ocean Way: From its junction with Beignon Close to Rover Way
• Hadfield Road: Between the junction with Leckwith Road and Penarth Road.

Lisa Lewis, who lives in Thornhill, said she agreed with 20mph limits in areas with houses and schools.

"I'm happy that it's 20[mph] when I'm walking the dog, for sure."

Laura Preddy, who lives near Excalibur Drive said the 20mph limits had been "very frustrating".

She added: "I have been caught speeding since the change, which is frustrating.

"There are no houses directly along the road and it gets quite busy, and it gets backed up the more slowly the traffic is going."

Another woman who is happy with the changes is 75-year-old Irene Williams, from Rumney.

Although Ms Williams agrees with the 20mph speed limit by schools and parks, she said Newport Road was "dreadful because you're stopping and starting, watching the speed all the time".

"It's 20[mph] in some places, then 30, then 20 again."

Rachel Williams, 29, also lives in Rumney, near Newport Road, and is conflicted on the changes.

Ms Williams said it was a "tricky one" and "kind of" understood why the road was reverting back to 30mph, adding it was "purely for the traffic" and the speeding.

However, she still agreed with the 20mph limit in residential areas.

Joshua Riley, 33, who also lives near Newport Road said he was "very happy" about the change as "the 20mph thing was a pain for everyone".

Mr Riley added that Newport Road was one of the biggest in Cardiff, and links the city to Newport and therefore feels it does not need to have a 20mph limit.

Transport Minister Ken Skates previously said the decision to reverse parts of the controversial £34m default 20mph policy was in response to "consistent" concerns raised by "a lot of people".

Dan De'Ath, Cardiff council's cabinet member for transport, said while the council "fully supports" the Welsh government's 20mph policy, the change would help reduce congestion and ensure consistency with surrounding routes.

In July 2024, the Welsh government gave councils more flexibility to assess the "movement" and "road characteristics" of specific routes, beyond just proximity to schools, hospital and other key locations.

The announcement by Cardiff council follows Monmouthshire council's decision to reject calls to raise the default 20mph speed limit on a number of roads in the county.

It comes despite data for the first year of the policy showing there had been about 100 fewer people killed or seriously injured on 20 and 30mph roads.

Mr De'Ath added that the 20mph policy reduces traffic-related casualties and encourages walking and cycling, and said the speed limit will remain in areas with high pedestrian and cyclist activity unless evidence proved higher speeds were safe.

"This approach balances the need for efficient traffic flow with the safety and well-being of all road users," he said.

The selected roads will return to 30mph following a legally required Traffic Regulation Process.