Drivers concerned about England speed limit as Wales becomes first UK nation to drop from 30mph

Drivers are revving to social media in outrage and concern for England's roads after Wales enforced its 20mph speed limit zones.

From this month, the majority of residential streets in Wales will be subject to a slower default speed limit - the country reducing the 30mph zones in more built-up, 'restricted' and pedestrian areas to 20mph.

Not only did 61 percent of the population oppose the move, as per a poll conducted by ITV Wales, but it's also going to cost a whopping £32.5 million to be enforced, as per The Telegraph.

Wales is the first country in the UK to reduce its limits in built-up areas and now those living in England are worried the new law may be headed their way too.

The vote on the new law was passed last year and this month has seen it come into play.

It was first propositioned by Wales' Labour government after police data revealed 40 percent of 1,131 incidents where people were killed or seriously injured on Welsh roads in 2018 occurred in 30mph zones.

The data also showed half of the 5,570 people hurt in collisions in Wales were injured on 30mph roads.

Plaid Cymru's transport spokeswoman, Delyth Jewell, said, as quoted by Autocar: "We're united in our belief that this change will bring about a reduction in road collisions and their severity, while creating more opportunities to walk and cycle in communities."

Getty Images/ Matthew Horwood

However, the slower limit has proven controversial with motorists - a petition opposing it having even reached over 149,000 signatures as of this morning (Tuesday, 19 September).

If you're caught ignoring the new limit and speeding, you could face a fine of minimum £100 and three penalty points, as per the government's website.

Scotland is set to follow in Wales' footsteps, the same law expected to come into place there in 2025, and drivers are now questioning whether it's set to be enforced in England too.

X/ @AvonandsomerRob

Drivers in England are flooding to X - formerly known as Twitter - in fear of the initiative creeping out of Wales and being enforced more widely across the UK.

One user said: "Does anyone agree with the 20mph urban speed limit in Wales, and likely to spread to England...?"

"This will cause even MORE EMISSIONS," another argued.

A third commented: "Coming to your town soon. The attack on the motorist continues. The Welsh 20mph speed limit is just the latest step in Labour's war on cars. England will be next."

Topics: UK News, Social Media, Twitter, Cars

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.