The Labour-led Welsh government has said introducing a default 20mph speed limit for residential roads is one of the most significant changes in 25 years of devolution and has accused the Tories of waging a “culture war” against it.
From Sunday, most roads in Wales that were 30mph have become 20mph, although councils have discretion to impose exemptions.
Lee Waters, the deputy minister for climate change, said: “It’s a big deal. I do think it’s one of the most significant things that we’ve done since devolution in 25 years if you think of the impact it’s going to have.
“There’s not a community in Wales that’s not going to be touched by this. It’s one of those policies that has got real cut-through. This is something everybody has heard of and most people have an opinion about.”
Wales becomes the first country in the UK to introduce a nationwide 20mph limit, a move that has been welcomed by road campaigners but is unpopular among many voters.
Waters said the administration had expected opposition to grow as the law came into force.
“Three years ago we polled and got 80% support. A year ago we got 60% support. There was a poll last week showing it had gone down to 35%. I’m not surprised it’s dipping particularly given the misinformation there is. We’re expecting it to rise as people get used to it.
“We’ve been working with the police and have trialled enforcement. The strong advice from the behavioural experts is to take an education-led approach not a punitive one. If people are caught by a roadside patrol doing less than 30 [but more than 20] they will receive words of advice, depending on the speed they are doing they may be offered an awareness course.
“We are working with the fire service because these are the guys who cut people out of cars. They’re going to have patrols where they talk people through why they shouldn’t be doing it. If people do more than 30 we will be taking a stronger approach where there will be three points and a £100 fine.
“In trials we found the average speed did drop, not to 20 but to around 27. But the number of people doing over 30 falls significantly and that’s the big win.”
Waters said he was not surprised that the Tories, including the leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, had attacked the law.
“The Tories are clearly searching for any culture war they can grab on to to deflect attention from their record. They’ve cottoned on there is opposition and it’s a bandwagon they can jump on to. It’s pretty grubby stuff.”
A number of organisations have signed an open letter backing the move including Brake, Action for Children, Cycling UK Cymru, Friends of the Earth Cymru, Natural Resources Wales, Play Wales, Sustrans Cymru and the UK Noise Association. The Welsh Local Government Association, which represents the 22 local authorities in Wales, has also signed it.
The letter says the new speed limit will make a “huge contribution towards fairer streets and more liveable communities for all in Wales.” It continues: “It’s not just a road safety benefit. It also supports broader health, climate and societal goals such as helping the vulnerable to get about, improving social connection, reducing air and noise pollution, and more.”
The Conservatives have focused on a report suggesting longer journey times would cost the Welsh economy £4.5bn over 30 years.
Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Conservatives in the Senedd, said: “Whilst I agree that 20mph is sensible outside heavily pedestrianised areas, such as schools, hospitals and care homes, the Labour government’s blanket 20mph speed limit rollout across Wales is simply ludicrous.”
