Journey times up, deaths down: Welsh 20mph speed limit still divisive two years on | Welsh politics

A few weeks ago, two groups of protesters gathered on the steps of the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. One demonstration was against the war in Gaza; the other, against the Welsh government’s two-year-old default 20mph speed limit in urban areas.

The change from 30mph was brought in by the Welsh Labour government across about 35% of the country’s roads in September 2023, at a cost of £34m. The reduced speed limit applied to any built-up area, defined as roads where lamp-posts were no more than about 180 metres apart.

Last week a small study by GoSafe, which monitors road cameras, found the policy had added an average of two minutes to journey times of differing lengths, aggravating an already bitter culture war over legislation designed to save lives.

Collisions along roads that have changed…