26 roads in county set for return to 30mph
Anthony Lewis, Local Democracy Reporter
Twenty-six roads in a Welsh county could have their speed limit turned back from 20mph to 30mph.
A report to Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) County Borough Council’s climate change, frontline services and prospertiy committee on Thursday, July 17, lists the roads the council is considering reverting to 30mph.
The 26 roads listed include:
- A4059 in Penderyn north of the school
- A4059 in Penderyn south of the school
- Hirwaun Industrial Estate
- Swansea Road/Merthyr Road in Hirwaun
- Llanwonno Road in Mountain Ash
- Abercynon Link Road (B4275)
- Berw Road in Pontypridd (B4273)
- Sardis Road in Pontypridd
- Coedcae Lane in Pontyclun
- Ynyshir Road (Wattstown roundabout)
- Penrhys Road in Tylorstown (B4512)
- Hirwaun Road in Trewaun (A4059)
- Station Road in Church Village
- Brynteg Lane in Beddau
- Cardiff Road to Main Road at Cross Inn
- Llwyncelyn Road in Porth (B4278)
- Upper Boat roundabout (A4054)
- A4054 Cardiff Road (northern extent) in Rhydyfelin
- A473 Nant Celyn roundabout, Church Village bypass
- B4595 Talbot Road, Llantrisant
- A4058 Ystrad Road, Pentre
- B4276 Hariot Street, Llwydcoed Road, Llwydcoed (southern extent)
- Cwmynysminton Road, Llwydcoed
- A4233 East Road (in part)
- Upper Boat to Midway Retail Park and Gelli Hirion Industrial Estate
- Gwaunmiskin Road (southern extent).
Legislation
In 2022, the Welsh Government passed legislation which meant that the national speed limit on most restricted roads would be reduced from 30mph to 20mph, from September, 2023.
Following widespread public debate and a petition submitted to the Welsh Government at the end of 2023 with nearly 500,000 signatures, a review was carried out to assess how the 20mph default limit had been implemented and how local authorities had applied the guidance on exceptions.
The report highlighted significant variation in the number of exceptions applied across Wales, with some councils keeping very few 30mph limits, while RCT kept 84.
The guidance was then updated so there was a more consistent and evidence-based approach to setting speed limits.
The committee report said the Welsh Government reaffirmed its commitment to the 20mph default speed limit but recognised the need for more targeted application and the revised guidance was aimed at addressing public concerns and refining the application of the 20mph policy used during the initial roll-out.
The Welsh Government required all local authorities to review the implementation of the 20mph legislation within their areas and assess the need to reintroduce 30mph limits where appropriate.
Setting 30mph Speed Limits on Restricted Roads – Guidance for Highway Authorities (Welsh Government 2024b) was published on July 16, 2024, which provided a framework for assessing whether it was safe and appropriate to raise speed limits to 30mph on restricted roads, while also considering local context and conditions.
Listening programme
Following the national listening programme during the summer of 2024, the council received 313 requests from residents and organisations to review speed limits.
These ranged from individual streets and housing estates to distributor and link roads, as well as broader area-wide reviews.
The report said that between May and December, 2024, all requests were collated and rationalised based on route and area and in early 2025, around 90 distinct road locations were chosen for review.
Preliminary assessments and data collection were carried out in February and March, 2025, which included journey times, vehicle speeds (pre- and post implementation), collision data, road environment and traffic flows.
A review panel met on March 21 to assess all 90 roads and each location was discussed in detail with consideration given to road safety, walking routes, traffic flows, collision history, road environment, markings, crossings and the revised place making criteria.
Of the 90 roads assessed, the panel identified 26 candidate roads that in accordance with the revised guidance were considered applicable to possibly be changed back to 30mph.
The council said it would consider all feedback from consultation and a further report would be presented to the committee once consultation was finished to report the findings and set out any recommendations to proceed with the making of the traffic regulation order.
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RCT are a joke. Set speed to 20 on my road after yrs of nitrogen dioxide levels high. Remove 20 mph signs including one lit at night. Lights still come on, to light ghin air. So people speed down my road again at 40-50 mph in the day and up to 70 mph early morning. Human life secondary to cars
The final decision on raising the speed limit should lie with the local residents, who are obviously the worst affected by speeding traffic. I can’t imagine anyone would vote for an increase in traffic speed where their children walk and play, so hopefully we will not see a speed increase anywhere. The council can also say that they have consulted residents, so that should quieten the morons who think metal boxes on wheels are more important than humans. As for the 500,000 petition,there was no way of knowing how many votes were from bots, voters in England, or voters abroad… Read more »
Of the 469,571 signatures on that petition, we do know that not all were from Welsh residents because a Sunderland Conservative councillor was one of those who’d signed it (this despite voting FOR 20mph zones in the north of England). The final decision should always rest with the local authority regarding speed limits, as they’re party to information that residents may not be aware of. As an example, a roundabout near us had its speed limit recently reduced to 30mph and many residents complained about it. What they might not be aware of is that the speed limit was lowered… Read more »
The Welsh Government could have just let local authorities apply 20mph speed limits where needed. Could have saved millions rather than an imposition based on a flawed ideology.
The hidden influences of speed demon politicians trying to make a really positive road safety scheme look bad. The 20mph saves lives and reduces life changing injuries. I speak as a car driver, a cyclist and a pedestrian.
It makes no sense that our local road is a consideration. It is a busy walkway fot children to and from school to 3 estates! It is also a busy road down to a bypass where some drivers speed down and overtake sensible drivers. It is a road that residenta for years have complained about road safety. Penderfyniad od iawn ac yn erbyn syniad 20 milltir yn llwyr!
The problem is not the speed limit but the road design, which predates the lowered limits. Take Penderyn on the A4059, mentioned in the article, which from a drivers point of view is mainly straight wide and designed for 40mph+ traffic, despite going past houses and a school.
Raise the limit to 30mph and a large proportion of drivers will still read the road design as encouraging faster speed, so 30mph+ will become the norm. In a world with sufficient funds the road would be rebuilt to signal that you need to go slow..