Wales will become the first nation to enforce a national 20mph speed limit after the Welsh Government voted to approve plans. A vote was held in the Senedd yesterday (July 12) about proposals to limit residential roads and busy pedestrian streets to 20mph which passed.
A pilot scheme has already been running in several areas, but this will now be rolled out fully. The Welsh Government say the new limit will reduce the risk and severity of injuries as a result of collisions between vehicles and vulnerable road users; encourage more people to cycle and walk; make Wales more attractive for our communities and bring physical and mental health benefits.
In her speech about the plans, climate change minister Julie James said there is evidence that 20mph limits lead to more people walking or cycling and she hopes it will lead to people naturally choosing those options. It is not, she said a blanket 20mph zone, but they are working with councils to pick which roads will be impacted.
Read more: Wales becomes UK's first nation with 20mph default speed limit
The change will come into force from September 2023 and the Welsh Government say residential roads and busy pedestrian streets will be affected. The legal definition where the scheme will be used is "restricted roads" and they are defined in legislation as a road where there is a "system of street lighting furnished by means of lamps placed not more than 200 yards apart".
The Welsh Government say that now it will be up to Go Safe to work with Wales' 22 councils to establish implementation timescales but enforcement will still continue during the transition period. But some WalesOnline readers were not too pleased to see the plans approved.
"The pilot schemes have been a waste of time. I live right by one and hardly anyone obeys it. It just results in cars following much closer together than normal and increases the likelihood of accidents and road rage. By all means make it 20mph outside each school, but a blanket wide change is just another example of how out of touch they are in the Senedd. No money for improving public transport links or a bypass for the gridlocked M4 but they find £33m for this? Laughable," said Lloyd Eveleigh.
For many, the biggest concerns surround how the plans will be financed. The direct financial cost is around £33 million but the Welsh Government say improved road safety resulting from a reduction in average speeds could result in a positive financial return over 30 years of around £25 million due to cost savings associated with reduced emergency services and hospital treatment.
"To be fair, as we are just about to go into a recession, why are people wasting millions & millions on stuff that , if needed, can wait a few years? If ever?," said FS Maerdy. While others wanted the money to be spent elsewhere, "better if they put the £33 million into the NHS," said Aerona Stooke and Philip Hunt said: "Yet again wales the first into spending more money on messing up a system that has worked well for years money that could be spent better elsewhere ??"
There have also been concerns at how the changes will add to journey times, and whether it will be followed. "I get the side streets being reduced to 20mph, lots are already. But why main roads? Driving that slow on a main route just causes chaos", said Becks Jones. And Jamie Craufurd said, "take the new 20mph throughout Abergavenny, completely inappropriate and ignored because of it. It makes the area more dangerous."
The Welsh Government say they hope the change will also have environmental impacts, with Climate minister Julie James saying there is evidence it leads to more people choosing to walk or cycle. Her speech said "The future of our towns and cities depends on our ability to move around sustainably and on solutions that have a positive impact on public health environment and communities.
"That is why we will use the principle that walking, cycling and active travel must remain the best options for short urban journeys and a 20mph default speed limit will help achieve this. The introduction of a national 20mph limit would be an important and far reaching policy. If passed Wales would be the first country in the UK to introduce the change. We're asking you all to be part of this change and make our communities understand the wider benefits of 20mph.
"This change is a generational one and when the time to embed, it will need to be accompanied by an important communication and marketing campaign and behaviour change initiatives. Achieving behavioural change is challenging but Wales has previously shown that we can do it successfully with policies such as organ donation, the banning of smoking in public places, and limiting the use of plastic bags. It does, however, require a collaborative effort between agencies, local authorities and by communities. We need to bring speeds down."
However some readers are not convinced. Karl Dowson said: "20 m.p.h. is to slow, cars stuck in 3rd gear, emitting more pollution, absolutely nothing to do with road safety or the environment, just another way of making money through speeding fines." While Bill Richards said: "My opinion is that it will increase emissions and cause more accidents through impatience, I've been overtaken by several cyclist recently how do you Police that? Absolutely ridiculous."
But lots of people are on board with the change, expecting others to follow suit. Steven Thomas said, "People moaned just as bitterly about carrier bag charges. Eventually even England followed suit. This will be no different." and Elizabeth Rees said: "People ranted when compulsory seat belts became Law. Saving lives is important."
Micheal Hennessy said: "Great news, maybe people will figure out that walking, cycling, getting the bus is a nice option," and Emma Chipili said, "So less chance of a child being hit an killed? I really don’t see the issue! It’s not going to be everywhere, just built up areas".
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