A trainful of lives

Picture this: you’re standing on a busy platform at Cardiff Central, nervously eyeing the arrival board. The train to north Wales finally pulls in – but it’s only two carriages long and almost every seat is already taken. You know that feeling: the sinking feeling of realising you’ll be standing all the way to Wrexham.

Now imagine that entire train that has just pulled in — almost every person in both carriages — didn’t end up in a hospital or worse this past summer.

That’s roughly how many people —100 lives — were saved from being killed or seriously injured on Welsh roads in summer 2024. Not a statistic. Not a projection. Real people: children, grandparents, neighbours, friends. That’s the early, very human impact of Wales’ bold decision to adopt a 20mph default speed limit on restricted roads.

Slower speeds also support more sociable, community-focused places, with town centres becoming quieter, more inviting spaces to walk, shop, or sit outside a café.

A step forward for safety

Wales made headlines in September 2023 when it became the first UK nation to move the default speed limit from 30mph to 20mph limit on roads across the country. The move aimed to make streets calmer, more liveable, and less lethal — particularly for vulnerable road users such as children, pedestrians, and cyclists.

And the early evidence is compelling. Across areas with the new limit, collisions are down 28%, and fatalities and serious injuries have dropped by around 35% year-on-year. Vehicle speeds have declined by 4.3mph on average, and driver behaviour also seems to be shifting, with increased compliance and greater caution.

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These changes matter. At 20mph, a collision is far less likely to be fatal. Streets feel less hostile, especially for children walking to school, older people, and those using mobility aids. Slower speeds also support more sociable, community-focused places, with town centres becoming quieter, more inviting spaces to walk, shop, or sit outside a café.

Why 20mph isn’t enough

But while the safety benefits are clear, 20mph alone cannot deliver the kind of transport transformation that Wales urgently needs. Reducing speed is a crucial step, but it is only part of the solution to creating true transport choice. It does not remove the many other barriers that still stop people from cycling, walking, or wheeling.

Despite the fact that we are starting to see the beginnings of some really useful active travel networks in our towns and cities, most roads — even those with lower speed limits — are still overwhelmingly designed around private vehicles. Painted bike symbols offer little comfort when you’re riding between parked cars and fast-moving traffic. Narrow footways, poorly lit crossings, and badly surfaced paths make walking a challenge, especially for disabled people, families with pushchairs, and those living in less affluent areas.

 

My Ride. Our Right

At Cycling UK, we regularly hear from people who feel too intimidated to cycle — even on a 20mph road. This is especially true for women. Our recently launched campaign, My Ride. Our Right.,  is calling for better conditions for women to cycle — because right now, 9 in 10 women are afraid to cycle in towns and cities. It’s a powerful reminder that safety is not just about speed; it’s also about how a space feels, how it’s lit, how it’s designed.

Women shouldn’t be forced to choose between a busy road and a dark, isolated path. There should be a route that feels safe and welcoming — and when we make cycling safer for women, we make it safer for everyone.

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If we continue to design our towns and cities around private vehicles, we are denying people real choices about how they travel. Without high-quality, separated, and connected infrastructure designed for people not cars, most people — especially women — will not feel safe or confident enough to switch to active travel, regardless of how slow the cars are going.

The bigger picture: climate, equity, and Llwybr Newydd

This matters not just for safety, but for our future. Wales has made bold commitments under its national transport strategy, Llwybr Newydd, which outlines a vision for a sustainable, integrated, and inclusive transport system that supports a prosperous and equitable Wales. Central to that vision is a modal shift away from car use and toward active travel and public transport.

Simply put, 20mph makes streets safer, but it doesn’t make them truly inclusive or empowering for everyone.

But the climate clock is ticking. The Welsh Government has set ambitious goals to reduce emissions, with transport making up around 17% of Wales’ carbon footprint. Meeting Wales’ climate targets means reducing car journeys — not just making them slower.

That requires a rethink of how we allocate road space and invest in infrastructure. It means creating a dense network of protected cycleways, continuous footpaths, safe crossings, low-traffic neighbourhoods, and accessible public transport hubs. It means making walking and cycling not just possible, but preferable — especially for everyday trips.

Simply put, 20mph makes streets safer, but it doesn’t make them truly inclusive or empowering for everyone. A single parent trying to get their child to nursery and then cycle to work needs safe, direct routes. An older adult on a mobility scooter needs crossings and pavements that work for them. A teenager cycling to college needs to feel safe at every point in their journey — not just reassured by a speed sign.

What comes next?

The early results of the 20mph policy are something Wales and the Welsh Government should be proud of. They show that public policy, even when controversial, can save lives and make streets better for everyone. But this can’t be the end of the road.

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If Wales is to meet its climate targets and realise the Llwybr Newydd vision, it must now go further:

• Commit to investing £50 per head in comprehensive active travel infrastructure that connects homes, schools, shops, and workplaces;
• Prioritise equity and accessibility, ensuring that changes benefit all communities;
• Pair speed reduction with street redesigns that put people at the centre;
• Support this transformation with public engagement, education, and community involvement, helping build trust and ownership of change.

A trainful of lives — and a future worth building

The 20mph rollout is already saving lives. Around 100 people spared death or life-changing injury is not a statistic — it’s a profound achievement. But to transform how Wales moves — to cut emissions, boost public health, and create thriving towns and cities — we need more than safer streets. We need streets designed for people, built around the journeys they actually want and need to make. We need ambition and investment, not just speed reduction.

Saving a trainful of lives is a powerful start but it is definitely not the final stop.

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