Councils have started rolling back 20mph speed limits, as the highly restrictive zones have been the subject of driver backlash and are reported to be generating a record number of fines.
Local authorities in the Scottish Highlands and Flintshire in Wales have put their speed limits back up to 30mph on some roads in recent months. The council in Flintshire is reported to have had 300 applications to restore more roads to even higher speed limits, according to the MailOnline.
More than 216,000 fines for breaking the 20mph speed limit were given to motorists in the UK in 2023. That’s four times the number handed out by police forces in 2018.
According to road traffic expert and lawyer Nick Freeman, known as Mr Loophole, 20mph speed limits “actually make our roads more dangerous”.
In September last year, the Welsh Government became the first home nation to institute a 20mph default speed limit on restricted roads, drawing the ire of drivers.
However, two months later, Flintshire Council moved ten roads back to 30mph.
Mike Peers, a councillor in the Buckley area of the county, has been leading the charge, calling on locals to raise their concerns about the restrictive speed limits.
He told Leader Live: “There is a push to get the 30mph back and we’ve said this since the pilot was put on us. We were opposed to the 20mph on key, arterial roads; the A549 being one of those.
“Everyone knows that people are happy with 20mph on estate roads, outside health and community centres and schools.
“But when you get mile after mile of 20mph… the convoy of cars makes it difficult for people pulling out of side roads. If it’s applied in the right place people will abide by it.”
Cllr Carol Ellis also said that drivers are “confused about where it’s 20 and 30”, adding that this was making some motorists drive at 15mph as a result, causing “others a lot of anger”.
One Buckley driver, Carol Flavell, told Leader Live that the 20mph zones have done precious little to reduce speeds: “Because people can see no logic to the speed limits on so many of our roads, they have lost all respect for all speed limits, especially 30mph roads, where so many more cars are now travelling up to, and in excess of, 40mph.”
Meanwhile, Highland Council in Scotland said, following the trial of 20mph zones, that several roads would be returning to 30mph.
