More than 85,000 drivers broke 20mph rules in 2024
BBCMore than 85,000 motorists were caught breaking the 20mph speed threshold in 2024 in Wales, latest figures reveal.
In the first full year of enforcement, 48,337 drivers exceeded the limit in south and mid Wales. Enforcement began a little later in north Wales, where 36,710 were caught.
Pro-20mph campaigners have said the number of offences is similar to before the new limits were introduced, proving their "effectiveness".
But on Gors Avenue in Swansea, previously revealed to be the one of the worst Welsh roads for infringements, residents felt the 20mph limit was "ridiculous".
The GoSafe figures for December show the average speed drivers were caught breaking the limit was 28.5mph in north Wales and 27.9mph in south and mid Wales.
That month, the top speed recorded by GoSafe was 65mph while, over the whole of 2024, the top speed recorded was 88mph.
Currently, drivers are subject to enforcement at 26mph or over where a 20mph limit applies.
The default limit, introduced in September 2023, applies to just over a third of the road network in Wales but has proved controversial.
Some stretches of road are expected to revert to 30mph, especially those away from built-up areas.
This follows the Welsh government stepping in, and the review process is seeing highways authorities considering raising the speed limit on some routes.
Early figures suggest fewer serious road casualties on roads with 20mph and 30mph speed limits.
The number of serious casualties or fatalities dropped 23%, with 78 people killed or seriously injured on both 20mph and 30mph roads in the first three months of 2024.
This compared with 101 serious casualties in the first quarter of 2023, before the default 20mph was introduced.
Separate police force data provided to BBC Wales showed that more than half of offences occurred on only seven stretches of road.
Between January and October last year, more than 8,000 drivers were caught on the A4102 Swansea Road at Gellideg in Merthyr Tydfil.
Meanwhile, about 3,700 offences were recorded on Gors Avenue, Swansea over the same period.
The long, residential street in the Townhill area of the city features a row of shops, a nursery and primary school, sports facilities and a children's play area.
Casualty data suggests four serious incidents along it involving pedestrians since 2017.
Antonio Felicio, 61, who lives nearby, said he had been fined for doing 29mph along the road, adding the new limit had come in while he was spending seven months travelling in Asia and he did not realise the change when he returned.
"I don't think it needs to be 20," he said.
"In my opinion, if you're careful when you drive, 30 is OK. I drive a lot around the city, and it's so hard to know where is 20 and where is 30."
Adewale Akinade has lived on Gors Avenue, close to the primary school, for more than 12 years and said he did not think the 20mph zone was needed, apart from outside the school.
"We haven't had any injuries or incidents on this road," he said.
Mr Akinade, 58, added the data suggested the cameras were "very sensitive".
"It's ridiculous. It just reduces everybody's profitability - if I have to go to collect a bit of shopping before work, I might not be able to do that in a reasonable time."
Diana Wardle, 71, recently moved to the street from the Swansea Marina area and said she hoped the road would be reverted back to 30mph.
"People were sticking to the 20mph, stopping to let people cross even if they were nowhere near a crossing. But that lasted about two weeks," she said.
"I don't mind it being 20mph near the school, but [the full road] seems silly when other places aren't."
Taylor Richards, 33, said she often chose to use the parallel Carmarthen Road, which has a 30mph limit, over Gors Avenue when travelling to visit her nan.
She said she was not surprised people were breaking the limit, adding: "This is like a main road, and it's just so slow.
"It's a waste of money that could have gone on other things."
Ms Richards admitted "we do live in a city, it might be different in villages", but felt the 20mph zones were just making people "more angry" behind the wheel, pointing out this had led to some cameras on the street, and across the wider Swansea area, being vandalised.
This was echoed by truck driver Paul Bennett, 61, who lives on an adjacent road.
"There's too much confusion now," he said.
"It's changing constantly, even on the same road. With no clarity, how can the police pull you?"
He said he would support the "main road bits" of the street reverting to 30mph, adding the blanket 20mph rule "causes accidents".
"People are irate, cars are right on your tail," he said.
Swansea council said "a review linked to the latest Welsh government guidance is still ongoing" and confirmed Gors Avenue was part of this review.
It added it had received Welsh government funding which would assist with making any speed limit changes, as well as "ongoing works in relation to vehicle speed limits signs following the introduction of the new 20mph limits across Wales".
"We are also looking at our options for the future repair of the damaged speed camera along Gors Avenue," it said.
The remaining five stretches were in Flintshire, topped by nearly 7,200 drivers caught on the A5104 at Pontybodkin.
No offences were recorded in either Ceredigion or Powys.
Roadside monitoring of thousands of drivers under Operation Ugain, which offers free engagement sessions for those caught, has found the vast majority were complying with the threshold.
Adrian Berendt, director of the 20's Plenty for Us, said the number of speeding offences overall was fairly similar - or even down slightly - month-on-month compared to the period before the introduction of 20mph.
"It is pretty remarkable that the number of speeding offences being detected is so similar to previous years, given that they are on the exactly the same stretches of road as before, but with a 10mph lower speed limit," he said.
"This demonstrates, yet again, the effectiveness of the new national default speed limit of 20mph in Wales."