20mph speed change comes into force in Wales

As of Sunday September 17, Wales is now one of the few countries in the world to have a default 20mph speed limit in residential and busy pedestrian areas.

The Welsh Government has said reducing the speed limit on many roads from 30mph to 20mph will make streets safer, encourage people to walk and cycle, improve health and wellbeing, as well as protecting the environment.

Before the changes were introduced, around 2.5% of roads in Wales had 20mph limits. This has now risen to 35%. However, not all 30mph zones are affected.

The Welsh Government has said it worked with highways authorities to identify potential roads where speed limits can be reduced, as well as those which are remaining at 30mph.

The decision on which roads will be affected was made by councils.

The Welsh Government says reducing the speed limit could result in:

• 40% fewer collisions
• Between six and ten lives being saved every year
• Between 1,200 and 2,000 fewer people getting injured every year