Thousands of drivers caught breaking 20mph limit in North Wales last month

More than 5,000 drivers were caught breaking the 20mph speed limit in North Wales last month, a 480 per cent increase from the previous month.

The latest figures released by GoSafe, the Welsh road safety partnership, show that in July, 5,199 motorists were caught speeding on North Wales roads carrying the default 20mph limit.

Starting with just eight offenders in March, the figures have climbed month-by-month: 251 in April, 636 in May, and 892 in June, before skyrocketing in July.

Since the implementation of the 20mph limit, nearly 7,000 motorists have been clocked speeding in North Wales.

Meanwhile, in South and Mid Wales, 6,002 motorists were recorded speeding in the same period, with an average offence speed slightly lower at 28.4mph compared to 28.8mph in North Wales.

The sharp rise in offences in North Wales has been linked to “the end of advisory periods for several fixed camera schemes and the re-establishment of multiple mobile enforcement sites in residential areas. These areas were selected based on road safety risks and community requests for increased enforcement,” a GoSafe spokesperson said.

The highest recorded speeding offence in North Wales, since the implementation of the new 20mph limits, was 88mph.

GoSafe clarified that the number of offences detected does not equate to the number of people fined.

Offences may lead to educational courses, fines, court referrals, or exemptions.

Earlier this year, GoSafe launched ‘Operation Ugain’, which has teams across Wales focusing on educating drivers about the new default speed limits.

A spokesperson said: “Op Ugain teams can resolve an offence immediately with free roadside engagement.”

“99% of the Ugain offences in July were resolved with this method.”

GoSafe added, “Published speed data from Agilysis and Transport of Wales (TfW) shows that people are driving slower.”

“The provisional police-recorded collision data also shows that the total number of people killed or injured on Welsh roads is 16% lower than in the same period of 2023.”

“Whilst we need to take care when interpreting data over a short time period, it’s encouraging to see a decrease in speeding offences.”

“We remain committed to reducing the number of people killed or injured on Welsh roads. We’ll continue to work with our partners across Wales to make our communities safer for everyone.”

The Welsh Government issued new guidance in July for local authorities on making exemptions to the 20mph speed limit.

Ken Skates, the Transport Secretary, has initiated a “targeted change” strategy by consulting with councils to identify areas where adjustments may be necessary.

Local councils have commenced consultation periods, allowing residents to voice opinions on which roads should revert to higher speed limits.

Flintshire Council has received 855 requests to revert specific roads from 20mph to a 30mph speed limit, following new Welsh Government guidance.

Katie Wilby, Chief Officer for Streetscene and Transportation in Flintshire, welcomed the guidance, noting that it provides a solid framework for making balanced decisions regarding local speed limits.