Wales 20mph limit starts Sept 17th - a heads-up

[GMJ]

We got back home to Wales from a 5 week trip and the signs in our village haven't been changed yet. It has been reported that it will take some time to get all the signage done. Nonetheless we travelled at 20mph as we support the new law.

We drove through 3 villages to get to ours (we live in a very rural area): two had no signs at all (tbf they didn't have 30mph ones before either) and one (Brechfa village) did have 20mph signs up. It was very sensibly done at Brechfa: the first few hundred metres leading into the village where there are some houses on one side of the road, was still signed as 30 but in the heart of the village was signed as 20.

 

[Wheelie]

We got back home to Wales from a 5 week trip and the signs in our village haven't been changed yet. It has been reported that it will take some time to get all the signage done. Nonetheless we travelled at 20mph as we support the new law.

We drove through 3 villages to get to ours (we live in a very rural area): two had no signs at all (tbf they didn't have 30mph ones before either) and one (Brechfa village) did have 20mph signs up. It was very sensibly done at Brechfa: the first few hundred metres leading into the village where there are some houses on one side of the road, was still signed as 30 but in the heart of the village was signed as 20.

I'd read that Sir Gâr have lots of "exceptions". Just looked at their map, and if you're going north from Nantgaredig, it says the plan is for the 40 to stay the same, then national, no restriction at Felingwmisaf, a new 30 to 20 to 30 through Felingwmuchaf and a new 30 to 20 to 30 through Brechfa. Looks great (but poor Felingwmisaf ). If you want to look at the map it's here:
https://datamap.gov.wales/maps/roads-affected-by-changes-to-the-speed-limit-on-re/

 

[colinm]

We got back home to Wales from a 5 week trip and the signs in our village haven't been changed yet. It has been reported that it will take some time to get all the signage done. Nonetheless we travelled at 20mph as we support the new law.

We drove through 3 villages to get to ours (we live in a very rural area): two had no signs at all (tbf they didn't have 30mph ones before either) and one (Brechfa village) did have 20mph signs up. It was very sensibly done at Brechfa: the first few hundred metres leading into the village where there are some houses on one side of the road, was still signed as 30 but in the heart of the village was signed as 20.

It seems many people don't understand the law around 'restricted' roads, and this applies to limits in England as well as Wales (presumably Scotland and NI as well). The 20 Wales, and 30 elsewhere, 'automatic' speed doesn't apply to all settlements, but it can apply to a stretch of road 'in the middle of nowhere' and it doesn't even need a sign.

 

[Neckender]

Around Towyn and Kinmell bay some of the 20 mph signs have been sprayed with a tail on the 2 so they are saying 30 some have been completely sprayed over.

John.

 

[colinm]

Around Towyn and Kinmell bay some of the 20 mph signs have been sprayed with a tail on the 2 so they are saying 30 some have been completely sprayed over.

John.

Once you have passed a couple of lampposts it will make no differance, you will be expected to know you are in a 20mph limit, just the same as it's been with 30 limit.

 

[Robmac]

Once you have passed a couple of lampposts it will make no differance, you will be expected to know you are in a 20mph limit, just the same as it's been with 30 limit.

As long as you have your tape measure with you.

 

[Geek]

The small village I live in used to have a 30 limit, but a few years ago it changed to 20. Very appropriate for the narrow road with no pavements.

It took a year or more to make an appreciable difference to the speed of most cars, but it happened. Not many do 20. More like 24 or so. Those drivers broke the 30 limit in its day.

20mph limits are primarily about injury and death arising from collisions. Nothing to do with reducing pollution.

However it is also about quality of life. It's much better with the traffic passing more slowly.

 

[Geek]

Most moderen cars wont run below about 40mph in top, more polution.

My car shifts to top gear at about 65mph, I think. It's hard to detect and there's no display to say what gear you are in. You can only tell by telling it to shift up manually and seeing if there is any change to the tachometer needle.
The difference between 20 and 30 is insignificant.

 

[Geek]

No go in my proton savvy, it stalls on a pebble under 3000 rpm.

There's a reason why they don't cost much, then?

 

[Geek]

Most modern cars will happily drive in 3rd at 20 mph, and produce less pollution than at 30. The biggest problem for pollution is traffic calming measures which cause vehicles to slow down then speed up.

Particularly bad in Cardiff. Zillions of nasty speed bumps, traffic islands with huge kerbs high enough to kneecap a biker. Usually surrounded by bits of shattered car bumper.

 

[zzr1400tim]

I think that the moral to this post is
AVOID WALES LIKE THE PLAUGE

 

[Glandwr]

Those of you that have speed limiters. See the difference by doing an experiment. set it to 20 then after 3/4 minutes put your foot on the accelerator and press the button to change to 30mph.

I was surprised and I think you might be too.

 

[marchie]

As long as you have your tape measure with you.

My tape measure extends to only 8 metres, so by the time I've taken at least 4 interim measurements, and walked back to the M/Home, anything higher than a 1mph speed limit is safe from being broken. And, if I leave the engine running, and hobble back on my dodgy hip, the pedestrians will be ssafe from being run over, but the diesel emissions might poison them, unless the Office aircon and domestic woodstove emissions in the vicinity do the job before me ...

Steve

 

[mark61]

Those of you that have speed limiters. See the difference by doing an experiment. set it to 20 then after 3/4 minutes put your foot on the accelerator and press the button to change to 30mph.

I was surprised and I think you might be too.

What surprised you?

 

[Glandwr]

What surprised you?

The difference in speed, it's quite dramatic and convinced me that should I hit someone there would be a much more serious outcome.

 

[GMJ]

I'd read that Sir Gâr have lots of "exceptions". Just looked at their map, and if you're going north from Nantgaredig, it says the plan is for the 40 to stay the same, then national, no restriction at Felingwmisaf, a new 30 to 20 to 30 through Felingwmuchaf and a new 30 to 20 to 30 through Brechfa. Looks great (but poor Felingwmisaf ). If you want to look at the map it's here:
https://datamap.gov.wales/maps/roads-affected-by-changes-to-the-speed-limit-on-re/

Thanks for that - very useful.

Tbf there's not much to Felingwmisaf really: blink and you are through it but for consistency I would have thought it would be 20. It looks as though our village is keeping the 30 at the start of it but then changing down to 20 which is eminently sensible as the road narrows too.

 

[colinm]

From what I can see the main road through Felingwmisaf has only one streetlamp, this means it is not a 'restricted' road and not subject to a automatic 20mph limit, just as previously it wasn't subject to a 30mph limit.

 

[Drover]

Not sure if this has been posted ,
National speed limitsThe following speed limits apply to all single and dual carriageways with street lights, unless there are signs showing otherwise: 30 miles per hour (48km/h) in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland. 20 miles per hour (32km/h) in Wales.

https://www.gov.uk › speed-limits

 

[Nabsim]

Only difference I think is the 20mph signs in England aren’t currently done on a National level. I come across quite a few posted at 20 and have for years but nobody mentions them. The through road the house is on is a 20mph limit as well as others roads around us and that’s in a city. (In England)

 

[colinm]

Not sure if this has been posted ,
National speed limitsThe following speed limits apply to all single and dual carriageways with street lights, unless there are signs showing otherwise: 30 miles per hour (48km/h) in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland. 20 miles per hour (32km/h) in Wales.
View attachment 123881
https://www.gov.uk › speed-limits

If only .gov could get things right then people might understand, here is a direct copy of the law.

What roads are restricted roads.​

(1)Subject to the provisions of this section and of section 84(3) of this Act, a road is a restricted road for the purposes of section 81 of this Act[F1if—

(a)in England and Wales, there is provided on it a system of street lighting furnished by means of lamps placed not more than 200 yards apart;

(b)in Scotland, there is provided on it a system of carriageway lighting furnished by means of lamps placed not more than 185 metres apart and the road is of a classification or type specified for the purposes of this subsection in regulations made by the Secretary of State.]