Monmouthshire drops some Caldicot 20mph speed limits

Some 20mph speed limit zones are to be scrapped just months after their introduction, a council has confirmed.

Its 30mph signs will go back on two roads in Caldicot, Monmouthshire, after concerns 20mph made congestion worse.

In the Severnside area, the council will spend £10,000 reversing a 20mph trial the Welsh government spent £243,790 introducing in March.

From September 2023, 20mph will be the default limit in all Wales' built-up areas.

The £32m change follows trials of 20mph zones at eight location across Wales, including a main road in Severnside.

But the Welsh government has been clarifying its rules around speed limits in Monmouthshire, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

As a result, Monmouthshire will restore some 30mph limits, including in Caldicot where slower zones have been trialled since April.

Catrin Maby, the cabinet member for highways, recommended a section of the B4245 between Woodstock Way and the Castlegate roundabout - known locally as the Caldicot bypass - will revert to the 30 mph limit.

A section of Caldicot Road between the Castlegate roundabout and the bridge over the former railway line to Portskewett will also revert to 30mph.

A part-time 20mph zone will be maintained on the B4245 near Durand Primary School, with the exact times to be agreed with the headteacher.

The Welsh government's project officer for the 20mph limit backed the council's decision, which was based on advice that local highway authorities could make exceptions to lower speed limits based on the layout of local roads and their use.

The council added that the 30mph "buffer" on the B4293 heading north out of Devauden, where there is a 20 mph limit, will also be extended to include a bus stop used by the school bus.

The Restricted Roads Order 2022 will see 20mph become the default maximum speed for all roads where the national speed limit does not apply.

Roads that are not capped at 20mph will be assessed to determine whether they should be.

Roads that already have a 20mph limit will remain so.