Torfaen roads will remain at 30mph when 20mph default speed limit

On September 17 this year the speed limit on ‘restricted roads’ in Wales – those typically in built up areas and with street lighting – will drop from 30 to 20mph. 

That will mean where there is street lighting on a road and no speed limit signs, drivers will have to assume the speed limit is 20mph rather than 30mph as at present. 

But councils are able to make exceptions where 30mph limits will remain in place, and 36 such locations have been identified across Torfaen. 

Here are all 36 roads in Cwmbran, Pontypool and Blaenavon where the 30mph limit will be retained. 

1. Newport Road (from Rougemont roundabout to Llantarnam Parkway roundabout);
2. Llantarnam Park Way (from Newport Road to Cwmbran Drive);
3. Newport Road (from Llantarnam Road to Crown roundabout);
4. Llantarnam Road (from Court Road to Llanfrechfa Way);
5. Llanfrechfa Way (from Llantarnam Road to entrance of Northfields skate park);
6. B4236 Caerleon Road (from Turnpike roundabout to Twmbarlwm View, including The Grange roundabout);
7. Henllys Way (from Llantarnam Road to A4051 Cwmbran Drive roundabout);
8. Henllys Way (from A4051 Cwmbran Drive roundabout to Cocker Avenue);  
9. Ty Coch Way (for its entire length);  
10. Hollybush Way (from Two Locks Road roundabout to approximately 100m south east of the Cemetery junction);  
11. Hollybush Way (from Two Locks Road roundabout to Henllys Way roundabout);  
12. Henllys Way (from Hollybush Way roundabout to Stevelee);  
13. Henllys Way (from Hollybush Way roundabout to Ty Gwyn Way roundabout);  
14. Penylan Way (for its entire length);
15. Ty Gwyn Way (from Henllys Way roundabout for approximately 486m in a north westerly direction);  
16. Ty Gwyn Way (from Marlborough Road to Greenmeadow Way roundabout);
17. Thornhill Road (from Ty Gwyn Way to Aran Court);
18. Greenforge Way (from Greenmeadow Way roundabout to Springvale roundabout);
19. Greenforge Way (from Springvale roundabout to A4051 Cwmbran Drive, including Springvale roundabout);
20. Springvale Way (from Greenforge Way roundabout to Maendy Way roundabout);
21. Maendy Way (from Bryn Celyn Road, including Springvale Way roundabout and Chapel Road roundabout, to Caradoc Road);
22. A4051 Cwmbran Drive link road (from Chapel Street to Woodside Road);
23. Caradoc Road (from its intersection with Maendy Way to Morrisons roundabout);
24. Llywelyn Road (from Maendy Way to Tudor Road roundabout) Llantarnam & Pontnewydd;
25. Tudor Road (from St David’s Road roundabout to A4051 Cwmbran Drive, including Llywelyn Road roundabout);
26. Edlogan Way (from Morrisons roundabout to Woodland Road roundabout);
27. St Davids Road (from Llanfrechfa Way roundabout to Station Road, including Tudor Road roundabout and Morrisons roundabout);   
28. Avondale Road (from Station Road to Pontrhydyrun Road);
29. A4051 Cwmbran Drive (from approximately 100m south west of Bevans Lane roundabout for approximately 629m in a southerly direction);
30. Newport Road (from Rechem roundabout for approximately 486m in an easterly direction) Panteg and New Inn;
31. Newport Road (from Newport Road for a distance of approximately 650m in a southerly direction, past Pimlico, Pontypool; 
32. Pontyfelin Road (For its entire length) Panteg;
33. Old Crumlin Road (from Twmpath Road to Parkes Lane) Pontypool;
34. B4246 (from Gladstone Terrace to Kears Row) Abersychan;
35. A4043 Cwmavon Road (from Ffrwd Road for approximately 1393m in a northerly direction) Abersychan;
36. B4246 Abergavenny Road (from Rifle Street to King Street) Blaenavon.

The council’s intention is to use temporary traffic orders, officially known as an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order, which can be implemented within a week of being advertised, to retain the 30mph limit in those locations. 

The orders can remain in place for 18 months and the council says it will gather information and feedback on how the decision to keep the 30mph limit in place is working. That will then help the council decide whether to permanently keep the 30mph limits or whether any of the 36 routes should default to the lower speed. 

New 30mph signs, to let drivers know they can travel 10mph faster than what will become the new standard limit, will be installed at the locations. The only 20mph signs will be those remaining from areas where the lower limit was previously introduced. 

The roads have been selected based as they lack any of the features the Welsh Government has identified for where there should be 20mph limits and those are: 

• A road is within a 100m walk of a residential setting;  
• A road is within 100m of a community centre ;
• A road is within a 100m walk of a hospital;
• Where the number of residential and retail premises fronting a road exceeds a defined density of 20 properties/km equivalent.

But Torfaen has said the Welsh Government criteria doesn’t take account of local factors such as traffic speeds, collision history, local attractions, residential density or where there are plans to provide walking or cycling routes. These were taken into account by Torfaen officers. 

It says the roads it has selected have a lower density of housing, an absence of schools and hospitals, and no other local factors to warrant a lower speed limit. 

Any existing 20mph speed zones in these areas are set to be revoked and 40mph buffer speed limits will be introduced where drivers are required to travel from a speed limit of 60mph in to a 30mph or 20mph area. This is intended to encourage a gradual reduction in speed and improve compliance within the built-up residential sections. 

The cost of implementing the changes is set to be in excess of £900,000 but that should be met by a Welsh Government grant. 

The approach is set to be approved by Torfaen’s Labour cabinet when it meets at Pontypool Civic Centre on Tuesday, February 14. 

Councillors are also being reminded that there will be no need for it to issue notices to bring the new 20mph limits into force, instead a blanket notice covering the whole of Wales will be issued by the Welsh Government. 

Campaigns with other councils in Gwent are also planned to help make drivers aware of the change in speed limits.