Seven in ten Welsh people oppose the default 20mph speed limit, with four in ten drivers saying they regularly break it
Usually, the biggest political controversies are stirred over the largest political issues – the handling of the economy, the state of the health service, the future of immigration. In Wales, however, one of the most significant political stories since the last Senedd election has been around a minor policy area – speed limits.
In 2022, the Welsh Labour government, with the support of Plaid Cymru, introduced a policy that reduced speed limits in built-up areas from 30mph to 20mph, taking effect last September. Their hope was that the plan would reduce collisions, cut noise and encourage more to use alternative modes of transport. But the policy has become a rallying point for Labour’s opponents, particularly the Conservatives, who are hoping to dislodge Labour from government at the next Senedd election in 2026.
The ability of the opposition to gain support from the 20mph policy is hardly surprising – seven in ten (72%) say they oppose the new limit, including half (50%) saying they ‘strongly’ oppose it. This compares to only a quarter of the Welsh public (24%) supporting the policy.
Opposition for the policy is widespread, with opponents outnumbering supporters among every part of the Welsh public. It is strongest among Conservative and Reform UK voters, nine in ten of whom oppose a uniform 20mph limit, but also holds only limited support among voters for the parties that supported the policy – with 59% of Labour and 56% of Plaid voters opposed.
Such is the distaste for the new law that many Welsh people are simply disregarding it. Four in ten Welsh drivers (40%) admit to exceeding the 20mph limit ‘most’ or ‘all the time’, while a further third (33%) say they’ll occasionally go over the limit. Only 6% of drivers say they never breach the new 20mph speed limit, with another one in six (17%) saying they have only done so rarely.
Perhaps key to at least some of the widespread nature of the opposition is the fact that few Welsh people believe a reduced speed limit actually achieves many of its supposed improvements. Excluding making it safer for pedestrians, which half of Welsh people (48%) believe it does, the idea that the new 20mph limit has improved things finds little support.
As many Welsh people (28%) believe the new limit worsens safety for drivers as improves it, with four in ten (38%) viewing it as having made no difference. A similar story is true when it comes to reducing noise in residential areas, with one in five (20%) thinking the change has yielded benefits, 22% feeling it has worsened the situation, while a majority (53%) think it has again made little difference either way.
When it comes to air quality, though, twice as many believe the new speed limit has made matters worse (32%) than made things better (16%), even if more (41%) still believe it has ultimately made no difference.
Another issue with the policy in practice is that 60% of the Welsh public say that it is unclear which roads the new limit applies to, with only 37% saying they find the distinction clear.
What do you think about the new 20mph speed limits, transport policy in general, and everything else? Have your say, join the YouGov panel, and get paid to share your thoughts. Sign up here.
Photo: Getty
