The roads in Cardiff include Newport Road, North Road, Western Avenue, and Cowbridge Road West.
In July 2022, Wales became the first UK nation to pass legislation to lower the default speed limit on residential roads and busy pedestrian streets from 30mph to 20mph.
The new law did not apply a blanket speed limit but came with some exceptions. Ahead of the final changes in September, Cardiff Council has proposed some roads which will stay at 30 mph and. has produced an interactive map to show them.
Labour Councillor for Canton, Stephen Cunnah, says he is unhappy with some of the exemptions. He said, “20 mph has always been a popular policy.”
The two exempted areas objected to by the Councillor are Leckwith Road and Western Avenue. “Leckwith Road is quite intimidating of all the roads in Cardiff. It’s a big wide road. And a bit of a gateway into the city. I’d love it to have redevelopment, and I’m always pushing for that,” he told Cardiff News Plus.
He also called the exemptions “confusing and inconsistent.”
Ben Thomas, a father of an eight-year-old son, said, ” if you are driving near a school or anywhere where there are children, 20 mph is enough.”
But, the proposal for a speed limit has received a mixed response. While many people favor the 20 mph speed limit, Abdul Azeez, a taxi driver, says, “it’s not easy to drive 20 miles an hour”.
Plaid Cymru Councillor Rhys Livesy supports the 20 mph proposal with exemptions. He said, “I think it’s turning into a bit of populist politics, which certain parties are using just to pick up a populist vote.”
The final speed limit will be put into action in September this year.