The 20 mph default in Wales

No. Since 17 September 2023 the default on restricted roads in Wales has been 20 mph. The Welsh Government, last updated 25 September 2024, says restricted roads are usually in residential and built-up areas, often with street lights no more than 200 yards apart, and that historically these had a 30 mph limit. The law is the Restricted Roads (20 mph Speed Limit) (Wales) Order 2022, cited in Highway Code rule 124 as RR(20)O.

Other roads keep their signed or national limits. A Welsh motorway is still 70 mph for a car. A Welsh dual carriageway is still 70 mph for a car unless signed down. Some restricted roads have a signed 30 mph exception where the highway authority has made a traffic regulation order. DataMapWales shows which roads remain at 30 mph. Until the sign in front of you changes, that sign or the 20 mph default is the legal limit.

Street lights no more than 200 yards apart are the usual clue. Repeater 20 mph signs are generally not used where the restricted-road default itself applies, because 20 mph is now the default. You should not wait for a repeater on every lamp post. A 30 mph exception is signed, because it is the exception. Believe the pair of signs at the change of limit.

Trunk roads are a Welsh Government network, operated by Trunk Road Agents. The government has been reviewing 20 mph sections on 111 stretches of trunk road. That review does not let you drive at 30 mph on a 20 mph stretch while you wait. The current signed limit or the default is the law today.

Send feedback to the council or other highway authority for that road. The authority assesses it against Welsh Government guidance for 30 mph exceptions. In 2024 the public could suggest changes, and authorities were told to use revised guidance. Changing the limit requires a traffic regulation order, which takes months. Until signs change, 20 mph or the current signed limit remains the legal limit.

Do not treat a campaign, a petition or a news story as a new limit. The order and the signs are the limit. Driving at 30 mph because you think the road should be 30 mph is still 10 mph over if the default applies.

GOV.UK speeding penalties start at £100 and 3 points. A court can fine up to £1,000 off a motorway. The Sentencing Council 20 mph band A starts at 21 mph. 30 mph in a 20 is inside the published guideline table. New drivers can lose the licence at 6 points in 2 years. A speed awareness course may be offered. There is no right to one.

The 20 mph default applies to cars, vans, motorhomes and goods vehicles. Towing does not raise it. A caravan in a Welsh street is usually a 20 mph combination.

No. England and Scotland still use 30 mph as the usual restricted-road default, with 20 mph where it is signed or zoned. Northern Ireland uses 30 mph on built-up roads unless signs say otherwise, matching England and Scotland. The Welsh order is a Welsh law. A Welsh car in England uses the English default. An English car in Wales uses the Welsh default.

That every road in Wales is 20 mph. Dual carriageways, motorways and signed 30, 40, 50 and 60 roads are not. That you need a repeater 20 on every lamp. You do not, where the default applies. That a review of trunk roads lets you do 30 mph today. It does not. That 20 mph is only for cars. It is the road default for the vehicles on that road.

The Restricted Roads (20 mph Speed Limit) (Wales) Order 2022 changed the general restricted-road limit from 30 mph to 20 mph. Highway Code rule 124 cites that order as RR(20)O. The Welsh Government page describing the change was updated on 25 September 2024 and names 17 September 2023 as the start. Restricted roads are usually built-up streets with street lights no more than 200 yards apart. A 30 mph exception needs a traffic regulation order and signs. DataMapWales shows roads that remain at 30 mph. GOV.UK speeding penalties still start at £100 and 3 points. 30 mph in a 20 mph street is 10 mph over. England, Scotland and Northern Ireland did not copy this default.