Caerphilly Cabinet finalises plans for switch to 20mph default speed limit

CAERPHILLY County Borough Council has decided which roads will not be lowered to the new default 20mph speed limit.

Citing road safety, the Welsh Government is changing the law on September 17 by cutting the speed limits on many residential roads from 30mph to 20mph.

Generally speaking, all roads in Wales which are currently 30mph and have street lights at regular intervals will be affected, but local authorities have the powers to make some roads exempt from the law change – if those roads meet strict government rules

In Caerphilly, nearly 50 stretches of road were proposed for exemption, usually because of low pedestrian use or because there were no schools or hospitals nearby.

Most of those exemptions will go ahead as planned, but council officers have u-turned on four proposals after ward councillors and members of the public objected.

In Blackwood, the approaches to the roundabout where Highfields Way meets Bryn Road will be cut to 20mph, but concerns raised over the rest of Highfields Way – which locals called an “entirely residential area” where drivers “rarely abide by the current speed limit” – were dismissed.

In Maesycwmmer, the limit on the A472 outside Shappelles dance school will be cut to 20mph because of “significant traffic flows and concerns regarding visibility for pedestrians and cyclists” on the adjoining A469.

In Trethomas, a proposed 30mph “buffer zone” on the A468 near Clos Pantglas will be shortened slightly after residents raised concerns about the safety of children who play at a nearby park.

In Ystrad Mynach, the council agreed to make a stretch of the A472 Caerphilly Road around Tredomen Roundabout 20mph after objections from Gelligaer Community Council and from several residents, including one who called the road “dangerous” at the entrance to Brynmynach. Another said turning onto the A472 from there was “a real challenge” with fast-moving traffic in both directions.

No other exemptions were overturned, but the council recommended bringing in “additional speed measures”, such as extra signage, on several other roads across the county borough which will remain at 30mph.

At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday July 26, council leader Sean Morgan said the switch to 20mph was “something I am certainly very much in favour of”, adding that it would “improve the quality of life” and give pedestrians and cyclists “a bit more safety”.

Meanwhile, the council will also bring in new 40mph speed limits on four stretches of road: the A469 between Bargoed and Brithdir, the A4048 north of Hollybush, the B4254 between Gelligaer and Nelson, and the A472 between Nelson and Tredomen.

Caerphilly County Borough Council has approved unamended exemptions for these 30mph roads, meaning they will not be lowered to 20mph, listed in ward order:

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