New speed cameras to be switched on along the A4059

Road users in the Cynon Valley are advised that active enforcement of the new road safety scheme on the A4059 between Abercynon Roundabout and Cwmbach will begin. This means drivers exceeding the recently-implemented speed limits will be contacted under GoSafe’s standard practices.

The Council and GoSafe have been jointly working to tackle an increase in high-severity collisions along the A4059 in recent years. There have been several severe and fatal collisions over the past five years on this busy route.

As part of a road safety review, traffic counters recorded motorists’ speed along the A4059 over a seven-day period. The average speed was 48mph, which was below the posted speed limit at the time (the National Speed Limit). However, there was a significant number travelling over the speed limit and, in fact, there were 15 instances of motorists hitting very dangerous speeds of over 100mph – with one vehicle recorded travelling at more than 127mph.

In response to all data and the wider safety review, key speed limit changes were advertised and implemented along various sections of the A4059 earlier in 2025 – following a thorough statutory consultation process undertaken by the Council. Generally, this reduced the speed limit by 10mph along the route.

The section between the A470 roundabout at Abercynon to Mountain Ash now has a 50mph limit (formerly 50mph and national speed limit), with a shorter 40mph section at Quarter Mile junction (previously 50mph). Mountain Ash Comprehensive to Cwmbach is now a 50mph route (formerly National Speed Limit), with the 30mph and 40mph sections at Mountain Ash being unchanged. All of these speed limits are being clearly signposted.

An average speed camera system has been installed on the new 50mph and 40mph sections of the A4059, and two red light/speed-on-green cameras have been introduced near the Mountain Ash Southern Cross Valley Link.

While the systems have been operational and actively monitoring traffic speeds for some time, the testing period has now concluded. The Council and GoSafe have now confirmed the cameras will become operational to enforce the posted speed limits from Wednesday, October 1. There will be an initial period where warning letters are issued to drivers who are speeding, before the option of educational courses and fines are exercised. Issuing Fixed Penalty Notices is not the aim of the cameras – they are there to ensure that safe speed limits are complied with and to improve overall road safety.

It is estimated the new speed limits add just 25 seconds on average to the journey time in each direction from Cwmbach to Abercynon – depending upon the time of day. This is a small change for most motorists, and it is hoped that the new speed cameras will deter drivers from hitting the excessively-high speeds that were seen on 15 occasions during the previous review exercise.

To complement the changes, the Council has resurfaced the carriageway and renewed the coloured surfacing on the Quarter Mile Junction at Abercynon. Additional coloured surfacing and white lining have also been introduced at more junctions along the A4059 to improve safety, along with the renewal of cats’ eyes from Abercynon Roundabout to Ysbyty Cwm Cynon Roundabout.

A spokesperson for Rhondda Cynon Taf Council said: “The Council and GoSafe have announced that the new speed camera system on the A4059, between Abercynon and Cwmbach, will be fully-operational from Wednesday, October 1. The new speed limits have now been introduced for several months, enabling motorists to get used to the new arrangements.

“The new speed camera systems should discourage motorists from hitting dangerously high speeds along this route, to improve safety for all motorists. It was incredibly concerning to see 15 motorists exceeded 100mph on this route in our seven-day review exercise. This is clearly unacceptable and incredibly dangerous, and is exactly the action we are targeting to stop. We don’t intend to target the vast majority of motorists who use the A4059 safely each day.

“This is not a money-making exercise – we’d be delighted not to issue a single speeding fine, because that would mean we’ve made this main route through the Cynon Valley a much safer environment. To this effect, we’re giving road users advanced notice that the cameras are becoming operational.

“We’d like to thank South Wales Police and GoSafe for their support in this joint exercise, which ultimately aims to reduce life-threatening and very serious road traffic collisions – a goal we’re sure that everyone shares.”

Gareth Morgan, Head of GoSafe, added: “GoSafe’s only objective is to make Welsh roads safer for everyone. We’re delighted to work alongside Rhondda Cynon Taf Council to help us achieve this and improve road safety through the Cynon Valley. Collisions have a devastating impact on families and inappropriate speed plays a major role. The behaviour shown by a minority of people is putting everyone at risk and these cameras will help to stop it.

“We’ll be issuing warning letters for the first four weeks after the cameras are activated. This lets us engage with people first and avoid using punitive measures. Dangerous speeds won’t be tolerated and we will prosecute people putting lives at risk.”