A shocking report has revealed that a quarter of all speeding fines issued in Wales under the 20mph speed limit policy were concentrated on just two roads.
The report found that more than 15,000 drivers were caught breaking the limit across the two hotspots during a 10-month period from January to October this year.
The A4102 Swansea Road at Gellideg, Merthyr Tydfil, saw over 8,000 motorists penalised for speeding violations.
Nearly 7,200 drivers were caught on the A5104 at Pontybodkin, near Penyffordd in Flintshire, according to a Freedom of Information request.
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Drivers can be fined £100 for breaking the 20mph limit
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A further 3,700 drivers were caught breaking the speed limit on Gors Avenue in Swansea’s Townhill district, according to the FOI.
These three roads alone accounted for a substantial portion of all speeding fines issued across Wales during this period. If caught breaking the 20mph limit, drivers can be fined £100 and risk three penalty points.
During the 10-month period, Welsh police and GoSafe detected a total of nearly 62,500 speeding offences across Wales.
The enforcement was carried out through a partnership between councils, police forces and the Welsh Government.
The figures came after the devolved Labour Government implemented a policy lowering speed limits from 30mph to 20mph on all Welsh roads in built-up areas in September 2023.
The reduction impacted around a third of all roads in Wales with local politicians claiming the policy has helped reduce serious road casualties while others have called it a huge mistake.
The policy has proven highly controversial, with nearly half a million people signing a Senedd petition against the changes.
Lee Waters, the Welsh Government minister responsible, resigned as Transport Minister in March, six months after introducing the policy. But his replacement, Ken Skates, announced in April that the Welsh Government would drop the “blanket” policy.
Skates told the Telegraph: “We’ve put our hands up to say the guidance has to be corrected. This will enable councils to revert back to those routes that are not appropriate. I want communities to own speed-limit decisions rather than having them imposed upon them.”
But Darren Millar, the new leader of the Welsh Conservatives, criticised the policy’s implementation based on the latest data.
He warned: “There is clearly still a large amount of confusion amongst motorists judging by the latest data.
“Labour’s rollout of the 20mph speed limit still has been a disaster and councils are not moving fast enough to review inappropriate speed limits.
“The Welsh Conservatives have always supported a targeted approach to 20mph speed limits. Yet, Labour’s insistence on an unnecessary default limit is slowing Wales down.”
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20mph speed limits were introduced in September 2023
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A GoSafe spokesman explained that fixed cameras are installed in locations with the highest risk of fatal or serious collisions.
They noted: “GoSafe will continue to use the ‘4E’ method to improve road safety; engineering, education, engagement, and enforcement.
“Enforcement is always the last option and is considered where the risk to people is highest.
“We’ll continue to use these methods to reduce the number of people killed or injured on Welsh roads.”
