20mph speed limits should be ‘scrapped’ as Welsh Tories call for ‘common sense’ after driver backlash

The Welsh Conservatives are set to call on the Government to repeal the controversial 20mph speed limit legislation which has been criticised heavily by Welsh drivers.

They have targeted the Labour Government after an Explanatory Memorandum said the scheme of having a 20mph default limit would cost the Welsh economy up to £8.9billion.

The Welsh Government became the first country in the United Kingdom to have 20mph as the default speed limit on restricted and residential roads across the country in September last year.

The move was met with intense backlash from drivers, with one motorist setting up a petition which became the most popular on the Senedd website, as almost 470,000 people signed.

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It called on the Government to repeal the rules and scrap the 20mph speed limits, keeping them only on roads that need them, like near schools and hospitals.

The Welsh Government announced that it would roll back some of the measures with the help of the public who will be able to contact their local authorities to give feedback.

However, the Welsh Conservatives is bringing forward a Senedd motion to call on the Welsh Government to repeal the default 20mph speed limit later today.

The motion will call for the repeal of the speed limit and work with Welsh local authorities to deliver a targeted approach to 20mph speed limits with the consent of local people.

In the motion, the Welsh Conservatives will also reference the former Deputy Minister for Transport’s comments that “more common sense” should have been used when introducing the rules.

Lee Waters, MS for Llanelli, said the Government had recognised that some roads should revert to 30mph, which would happen as a result of the Government review.

Commenting ahead of the debate Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Transport, Natasha Asghar MS, said Labour was refusing to listen to the Welsh public.

The MS for South Wales East said: “The only common-sense approach would be to follow what the Welsh Conservatives have said since day one, scrap the 20mph scheme and only have it in heavily pedestrianised areas.

“In the Senedd, I look forward to bringing forward our Welsh Conservative debate calling on the Welsh Government to scrap the 20mph speed limit for good.”

It will also acknowledge that Transport for Wales’ air quality monitoring report found that half of the tested areas saw rises in nitrogen dioxide levels inside 20mph zones compared with outside.

Feedback from Operation Ugain, the police-led motorist engagement campaign, found that most vehicles were driving below the current enforcement threshold.

As of February, 270 drivers were directly engaged by the Fire and Rescue Service, while just two drivers were prosecuted for exceeding the speed limit.

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The data also found that 65 per cent of vehicles monitored were travelling 24mph or under, compared to 50 per cent prior to the introduction of 20mph speeds.

The motion will be heard in the Senedd later today as the Welsh Conservatives continue to attack the Government over the controversial road rules.