Enforcement of Wales’ £34m 20mph default speed limit in built-up areas will begin this month. The Welsh government confirmed that the law, which came into effect last September, will now be enforced after the “initial bedding-in period”. But it also acknowledged that not all drivers breaking the 20mph (32 km/h) limit will be prosecuted in the early stages – just the most dangerous offenders. A lack of 20mph signs has confused some drivers, acknowledged a motoring lawyer.
Enforcement will start from today, using speed monitoring equipment to catch offending motorists. They will then be stopped and given a choice between a fine and points or roadside engagement. “Following the introduction of the new default 20mph speed limit in September 2023, there was an initial bedding-in period to give people time to adapt to the change,” according to a Welsh government spokesperson. In September, Wales became the first UK nation to lower speed limits in residential areas from 30mph to 20mph.
The Welsh government law has caused controversy with some drivers and opposition politicians, and there has been uncertainty around its enforcement. The minister responsible for the rollout said in the Welsh Parliament in October that “we’ve given a grace period but we will now start to enforce”. But Wales’ road safety body, made up of police, council and government officials, said no enforcement had been made in new 20mph stretches, unless at police officers’ discretion. Prosecutions were reintroduced in long-standing 20mph zones in November. Now roadside engagement in some of Wales’ new 20mph areas will start, as part of Operation Ugain, but the most dangerous drivers will not be eligible for an engagement session and will be prosecuted
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