Welsh roads 20mph limit adds just two minutes to trips but row goes on

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 default 20mph speed limit in urban areas.

- Bethan McKernan

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 on roads where lamp-posts were no more than 180 metres (590ft) apart.

Last week a study by the road safety partnership 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.