20mph speed limits in Wales are 'here to stay' with drivers 'totally ignored' by Labour despite U-turn
Wales rolled out mandatory 20mph speed limits in September 2023
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The 20mph speed limit could be “here to stay” across Wales as the progress to reverse the rollout hits a roadblock, according to one Member of the Senedd.
The Conservative MS for North Wales warned that despite the nationwide campaign to remove the mandatory 20mph limits, “hardly any roads are being converted back".
A blanket 20mph speed limit was introduced across the country last year by the Labour Government but was immediately hit with driver fury.
Motorists expressed their frustration with the limit that was in effect in any well-lit residential area about the disruption it causes to their daily lives.
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6,603 drivers have been fined for breaching 20mph speed limits since launch
PAOne group in particular, “20 is NOT plenty” has amassed over 88,000 members on Facebook, all of which have called for the removal of the 20mph limits.
In total, since the September rollout 6,603 drivers have been slapped with £1.28million fines for speeding.
After nearly a year of protests, including the largest number of signatures on a Senedd petition the country has seen, the Government decided to act by reversing the scheme.
But Sam Rowlands, a Member of the Welsh Senedd, feared the actions would “hardly” make a difference.
He said: “Everybody knows how I feel about this nonsensical and crazy law making many of our roads 20mph when almost all of them quite clearly could remain at 30.”
Cabinet Secretary for Transport Ken Skates had previously stated councils in Wales would be given funds to turn certain 20mph speed limit roads back to 30mph.
Rowlands stated: “Almost half a million people in Wales signed a petition against this implementation, however, this was totally ignored by [the] Welsh Government and they pressed ahead. Not considering the fallout for the public, services, businesses and the economy.
“The money spent on this ill-advised and quite frankly bonkers idea, should have been spent on our NHS, education and local government services.
“I know the whole situation is dragging on but I will continue to hold the Welsh Government to account on this and fight for this law to be scrapped.”
An extra £5million was being made available for councils to make speed limit changes, but Rowlands claimed the whole exercise “has been a complete and utter shambles”.
Highway authorities will begin work to adjust speed limits on affected roads, with the process expected to begin in September later this year.
Data published by Transport for Wales in June found that speeds have reduced by an average of 4mph since the national rollout of the default 20mph speed limit.
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The 20mph Senedd petition attracted almost 470,000 signatures
GETTYThe implementation of the 20mph speed limit originally cost the Welsh Government around £32million.