Row breaks out as campaigners fighting 20mph speed limit accused of ‘misinformation’
Liam Randall, local democracy reporter
A row has broken out after campaigners fighting against a 20mph speed limit in Buckley were accused of spreading “misinformation”.
Flintshire is one of eight areas in Wales currently trialling a reduction in the speed limit in residential areas and busy pedestrian streets, taking it down from 30mph to 20mph.
The Welsh Government launched the pilot in February as part of plans to introduce a national 20mph default speed limit, which it says will help to reduce road accidents and save lives.
However, the trial has proved unpopular in Buckley, where residents claim it has led to an increase in collisions and road rage incidents, as well as rising pollution and fuel costs.
A petition set up by a local town councillor calling on ministers not to impose a national 20mph blanket speed limit has so far attracted almost 43,000 signatures.
Adie Drury, who represents the Bistre East ward, said the pilot scheme had caused “chaos”, leading to people avoiding the area and having to take new routes.
However, a road safety campaigner has written a blog post slamming the comments made in her petition as “disingenuous”.
Disingenuous
Rod King, founder of the 20’s Plenty for Us campaign group, said: “The Change.org petition to oppose the Welsh Government national default 20mph limit misinforms in that it misreads the Welsh Government plans and the ability of local highway authorities to set local exceptions.
“In this and many other inaccuracies it is therefore extremely limited as an assessment of public support for opposing the national default 20mph limit with exceptions that has been set in Wales.
“There is no ‘chaos’ and it is disingenuous to suggest that there is. No roads have been closed. No-one is being ‘forced’ to take new routes.
“There is substantial evidence that reducing speed reduces casualties. To say otherwise is both manifestly untrue and misinforms.
“There is no evidence that the change in speed limit has ‘caused’ any casualties in Buckley.”
The Welsh Senedd recently passed a law which will see the speed limit reduced to 20mph in built-up areas from next year.
It will be the first country in the UK to do so despite the move causing controversy among some drivers.
Ms Drury has now hit back at the comments made by Mr King and accused him of ignoring the views of Buckley residents.
She said: “He describes it as incongruous to suggest the 20mph scheme has caused chaos in Buckley.”
She said Mr King’s comments were disputing residents lived experiences of driving, cycling and walking around Buckley for many years prior to the introduction of ‘this ludicrous and utterly counterproductive scheme.’
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Angry petrol head who like to go fast undermine slow down your driving scheme
If they say that going slower increases pollution, should have no speed limit at all?
These campaigners against the 20mph speed limits are silly IMO.
These liars have been claiming that the lower speeds use up more fuel and increase pollution. You only have to Google: does driving faster use more fuel, and you will see how disingenuous they are.
Seems to me that campaigners against the 20mph limit have to be less than truthfull. If they came out with the facts – that the 20mph is not a blanket speed limit; that in consultation with residents local authorities will have the means to keep the 30mph limit on certain roads and that this rule will come in at the very earliest in 13 months – it won’t be the black and white issue they are currently relying upon to create a story.
I would like to know, in the built up areas where 20mph is set to be introduced, what percentage of driving time is currently done at 20mph or over and what percentage of time is done under and to measure that against the areas where these pilots are being run. If a greater number of cars are spending more time doing 20 (or over – there are always going to be people cheating by 5-10mph in areas without cameras but cheating to 35 will be replaced by cheating to 25) because the flow of traffic is better or the number… Read more »
in 20mph areas there are speed bumps. If you hit those at or over 20mph you are going to feel it. Cameras not needed. This will over time cumulatively impact the speed your suspension will wear out, even for law abiding drivers. Speeders ruin the roads for everyone.
There have been 20mph zones in Wrecsam for well over a decade now, perhaps even two.
I know Wrecsam isn’t exactly one’s idea of a utopian paradise, but any trouble we have hasn’t been caused by 20mph zones. Even that embarrassing riot a good while back wasn’t because of the 20mph zone in Caia Park.
A few times a week I take my son from one side of Cardiff to the other.
Most of this journey is now 20mph.
This reduction in speed limit has actually made the journey 5-10 minutes quicker.
The traffic flow more freely. I’m not having to slow down and speed up constantly. I almost always catch the traffic lights on green, and consequently I use less fuel.
If I’m using less fuel, surely I’m creating less pollution.