20mph: Drakeford says confused drivers will not face 20mph fine

The new default limit became law in September, and enforcement has begun

People who are "genuinely confused" about the 20mph speed limit will not be prosecuted, Mark Drakeford has said.

The outgoing first minister spoke as enforcement of the policy in built-up areas in Wales began on Monday.

He said police will enforce Wales' 20mph law when people drive "well above" the speed limit.

But he said he did not think those who were puzzled about whether a limit applied to the road they were travelling on would face action.

In a press conference Mr Drakeford also admitted there have been "anomalies" in signage.

His transport minister Lee Waters said on Monday that "for now" prosecutions will start at 26mph in a 20mph zone.

The limit came into effect in September.

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Mr Drakeford said police in the first instance would "make sure people are aware of the law [and] their obligations".

"Where people deliberately break the law, where people drive well above 20mph in a 20mph zone, then the law will have to be enforced."

He added: "I think if the police find somebody driving above 20mph and the reason is they are genuinely confused about that - I don't think in those circumstances of genuine confusion the police will move to enforcement.

"If there are examples, genuine examples, where people just have misunderstood that this piece of road that they are on is now a 20mph limit, I think that will be resolved through the way that the police intend to respond.

"But it would need to be genuine confusion, rather than just a claim to be confused."

He said suggested there are "anomalies" in the implementation of the law. "We recognised that from the beginning," he said.

"Some of them are to do with signage, and whether the signage is clear enough."

Mark Drakeford is stepping down as first minister in March.

The two candidates to be the next Welsh Labour leader have said they would launch a review of the law if elected - and Mr Drakeford said that had been committed to by the Welsh government from the beginning.

He added: "In Wales, people do observe the law. They may not have learned to love it… but they are abiding by it."

Mr Waters wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that "after giving over three months to get used to it the police are starting to enforce".

Mr Waters, the deputy climate change minister, described the police approach to enforcement as "education led", adding that "there's no incentive for us to fine because the money won't stay in Wales".

A Welsh government spokesperson clarified that the money generated by 20mph speeding fines, "as with all speeding fines, is directed to HM Treasury".

Mr Waters, who has transport in his portfolio, also wrote: "Police guidelines say enforcement will be targeted on drivers travelling 10% above the speed limit - plus 2mph.

"For now this will be increased to 10% plus 4mph meaning we start to prosecute at 26mph in a 20mph limit."

He also said a review is looking at "how the limit is being implemented" and "whether local authorities are confident in using their powers to exempt some stretches of road that would be better at 30mph".

In introducing the law, Welsh ministers argued the limit would reduce deaths and noise and encourage people to walk or cycle.

20mph Senedd petition

A petition to axe the new default limit has gained just under 470,000 signatures since it was launched in September, the most in the Senedd's history.

Organisers of the campaign called on the Welsh government to "rescind and remove" the "disastrous" law.

The Senedd Petitions Committee is due to consider the topic for debate as the petition has received well over the 10,000 signature threshold. As of Monday morning, the number of signatures was above 467,000.

Welsh Conservatives said they were in favour of a 20mph limit outside schools, hospitals and care homes - but called the rollout "disastrous, frankly ludicrous and a war on motorists".

South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael said "common sense will be applied".

"It's not as if there's a will to make life difficult for drivers," he said.

Mr Michael told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that people who did not want it needed to recognise it was now law, and use their common sense in the way they drive.

"This is now the law, let's make it work," Mr Michael said.

He stressed the police wanted to engage the public, rather than spend all their time on enforcement.

"This is a speed limit that was introduced by Welsh government because of the strong evidence that it would save lives and reduce injuries," Mr Michael said.

He acknowledged that there were complications with the introduction of the law and said it was sensible that there would be a review of the implementation.

"I think there are issues in some places where there's a lot of switching between different speed limits," he said.

Drivers have also complained of unclear road signage.

"All of that will work through in time," Mr Michael said.

He also pointed out that road safety changes have frequently been unpopular in the past.

"Every law that's been brought in order to improve safety on the roads - whether you go back to motorcycle helmets, whether you look at seatbelts - has had a degree of controversy at the beginning, before people get used to it," Mr Michael said.

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