A national 20mph speed limit will come into force across Wales next year as a default. Government plans to impose the limit on residential roads and busy areas were passed following a vote in the Senedd today (July 12).
The Welsh Government hopes that the move will reduce both the risk and severity of motoring accidents, including collisions with other vehicles and vulnerable road users, as well as uplifting fitness and wellbeing by encouraging more people to walk and cycle.
Officials also aim to make Wales more attractive for local communities, while bringing in physical and mental health benefits.
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WalesOnline reports that there have been successful pilot schemes across Wales, and Senedd members voted today with 39 in favour of the proposals and 15 against.
In her speech about the plans, Climate Change Minister, Julie James, 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."
The Climate Change official said that there is evidence that 20mph speed limits lead to more choosing to walk or cycle, and hopes that it will in-turn naturally help promote these options. It is not, she said a blanket 20mph zone, but they are working with councils to pick which roads will be impacted.
According to Ms James, roughly 80 people die on Welsh roads each year on average - with 53 per cent of accidents happening on 30mph roads according to recent figures.
All you need to know about the 20mph change:
When will it come into place?
The limits will be put in place and ready to go by September 2023.
Which roads will be covered?
The legal definition where the scheme will be implemented in on 'restricted roads' - which 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 Gov say that the changes affect residential roads and busy pedestrian streets mainly - and will work to identify roads where safer roads can remain at 30mph.
Does it mean speed bumps will be installed?
At present, there is no plan to implement extra traffic calming measures such as speed bumps.
How will it be brought into force?
The Welsh Government says that it will now be up to Go Sage to work with Wales' 22 councils to establish timeframes of enforcement - but rules will still be in place throughout the transitional period.
How much is this scheme going to cost?
Financial implications show that the work will cost around £33million - but Welsh officials say that a financial return over 30 years could add up to £25 million - if emergency services and hospital treatment relating to RTCs are reduced successfully.
The policy could also create widespread economical benefits due to improved road safety (£1.4bn), environmental and health benefits from more active travel (£0.5bn) and further heretofore unquantified benefits from more vibrant and connected local economies.
Will it add lots of time to my journey?
An increase of just 17 seconds per mile through urban travel is expected, and it could even be less in rural areas - according to Public Health Wales.
What happens next?
Councils need traffic regulation orders to successfully bring in the new 20mph zones. Currently just 2.5 per cent of the road network is 20mph, which will increase to 35 per cent when the policy comes into play according to Ms James.
Councils will be able to exclude certain roads via an exceptions process, but the general consensus is that the default limit will be 20mph.
Who supports the move?
The move is supported by Public Health Wales - due to the health benefits it can bring with it.
Dr Sarah J Jones, consultant in environmental public health at Public Health Wales said: "Travelling at 20 mph has been shown to reduce the risk of crashing and the severity of crashes that do still happen. It also produces less noise pollution and reduces fuel consumption. It encourages people to walk and cycle, helping to fight obesity and improve mental well-being.
"All of these are likely to contribute to improvements in health and reduction in the demands for health services, which will help the NHS recovery from COVID."
And in opposition?
The RAC's road safety spokesperson Simon Williams said: "Research by the RAC suggests compliance with 20mph speed limits is quite poor with an increasing number of drivers believing the limit is inappropriate for the road. Rather than setting a default 20mph limit on all restricted roads it would be better to target areas where they are most needed – for example on residential roads or in areas where there is high footfall – as opposed to main ‘arterial’ roads where there are few pedestrians.
"However, even if compliance with new 20mph limits is poor, it should lead to an overall reduction in speeds which will have a positive effect on road safety. Better still, would be to enforce existing limits regularly to encourage drivers to slow down and to modify roads to prevent drivers from going too fast in the first place, for example by constructing traffic islands, well-designed speed humps or chicanes."
Welsh Conservatives also argue that local speed limits should be set by their overseeing councils and not the Senedd. Welsh Shadow Minister for Transport, Natasha Asghar MS, said a blanket roll-out "is quite frankly ludicrous".
"Speed limits like this should be decided by councils in their local areas, not top-down by Labour ministers. Let’s give local people the power over their communities, the very people who know their roads best."
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