Hertfordshire County Council is asking which Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City streets should drop to 20mph. Main roads such as Comet Way and Bessemer Road are left out. The survey closes on 11 October.

Residents of Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City have until 23:59 on Sunday 11 October to say which of their streets should have a 20mph speed limit.

Hertfordshire County Council opened two surveys on 14 September, one for each town. It has not drawn up a list of roads to change. It is asking people who live, work or visit to tell it where lower limits would help and where they would not. The council says the responses will shape whether a scheme goes ahead at all, and which roads it covers.

The roads that are already ruled out

Both surveys start by saying which main roads will keep their current limit.

In Hatfield, the council says it is not considering 20mph on:

  • the distributor roads South Way, Comet Way and Cavendish Way
  • Mosquito Way and Hatfield Avenue, which it calls business and transport corridors that already have separate paths for walking and cycling

In Welwyn Garden City, it is not considering 20mph on the distributor routes:

  • Stanborough Road
  • Bessemer Road
  • Broadwater Road
  • Black Fan Road
  • Chequers

The Welwyn Garden City page also cites a countywide YouGov survey. It says most people favoured 20mph around schools and where people live, but wanted main roads such as Ascots Lane to stay as they are.

Everything else is open for comment. That includes residential streets, the shopping streets and the roads outside schools.

How to take part

Each town has its own survey on the county council’s Let’s Talk Transport site:

Each page links to an interactive map of every street in the town. The map colours main roads blue, high streets and shopping areas purple and residential streets green. Roads that are already 20mph are shown in black, and schools are marked with blue dots. You can comment on a single road or on the idea as a whole, for or against.

Questions go to 20mph@hertfordshire.gov.uk. The council asks you to quote “Hatfield 20mph” or “Welwyn Garden City 20mph” in the subject.

Where the county council's 20mph programme stands in Welwyn Hatfield, September 2026. Consulting now, until 11 October: Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City. In development: the Welham Green area. Under construction: Welwyn village, and Woolmer Green and Oaklands.
Where each part of the borough stands in the county's 20mph programme. Graphic by Welwyn Online
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The rest of the borough is further ahead

These two surveys are part of a countywide programme. Its project list, checked on 28 September, shows Welwyn Hatfield at three different stages:

Area Stage
Hatfield Consulting now
Welwyn Garden City Consulting now
Welham Green area In development
Welwyn village Under construction
Woolmer Green and Oaklands Under construction

The county council says it plans 20mph limits across whole areas rather than street by street, including cul-de-sacs and short side streets. Its reasoning is that one limit is less confusing and needs fewer signs. It also says the money for the programme has been set aside for 20mph schemes and cannot be spent on potholes, which are funded separately.

What the council says the evidence shows

The council’s case is set out in a one-page factsheet attached to both surveys. These are its figures, drawn from schemes elsewhere:

  • In Wales, average speeds fell by 3.8mph 18 months after 20mph limits came in.
  • Journey times in Wales rose by two minutes or less.
  • In London, 20mph limits were associated with a 34% fall in people killed or seriously injured.
  • In Hertfordshire, a YouGov survey found 58% support for 20mph where people live.

The county’s programme page adds that early results from Wales showed a 26% fall in casualties in the first year. The factsheet does not include any speed or collision figures for Hatfield or Welwyn Garden City themselves.

What it means for you

If you want your street included, or left out, the survey is where to say so. The council has said views will decide whether the scheme proceeds, so a quiet response is not the same as a neutral one.

After 11 October the surveys move to review, and the council says a final report will follow. Nothing changes on the roads until a scheme is designed and a speed limit order is advertised. That order would carry its own formal objection period, and we will report it when it appears. Current closures across the borough are on our roadworks and travel page.

Sources