Safety concerns slow roads returning to 30 mph
A council fears fears that rushing the return of 52 roads from 20mph back to 30mph could lead to a tragedy are slowing down the reversal of the policy.
Wrexham council’s deputy leader Cllr David Bithell defended the authority against claims that the process was too slow, highlighting the unique safety risks associated with approving an increase in speed limits.
Meanwhile council leader Cllr Mark Pritchard said the fiasco was a warning to all governments that imposing sweeping changes without consultation must never happen again.
Public consultation
Wrexham County Borough Council will next Tuesday consider a public consultation report that shows emphatically that people in Wrexham want all 52 roads that the council recommended to return to 30mph.
But some have claimed that after the speed limits were reduces overnight, returning them to their original speed is taking too long, with a target date of May to complete the roll-back.
Cllr Bithell – also Wrexham’s strategic member for transport – defended the authority however, warning that the council is trying to avoid a catastrophe.
“Whenever we have considered road speeds, it has always been to reduce them,” he said. “We have never increased speeds as a council.
“That’s why we have taken a really robust approach to this. We extended the consultation to the end of January to ensure everyone had their say.
“There are views on both sides but overwhelmingly it seems people welcome returning the roads to 30mph.
“It is a positive step in addressing an issue that’s not been caused by us but that we have had to pick up.
“Fortunately it’s fully funded by Welsh Government so there is no cost to the council there.”
Risk
But he said the biggest issue is the risk factor.
“There are a number of risks in increasing road speeds that we need to consider carefully. The most important one is the safety of drivers and pedestrians.
“Increasing speed increases the risk of harm if there is an accident so we need to get this right.”
Cllr Bithell revealed he had not had communication from the Welsh Government detailing the legal liability to the council around increasing road speed, prompting a cautious approach.
He himself has delegated powers to make the changes needed, but such is the legal risk if there is an accident after the speeds are increased that he and council leader Cllr Mark Pritchard agreed the matter should be put before the council’s Executive Board for a collective decision.
“Ultimately the decision is with us which is why we have taken it to the Executive Board for a collective decision,” he said. “It’s really difficult to make one individual person directly responsible.
“I don’t want it on my conscience – and I don’t think the Executive Board want it on theirs either – if there is a fatality after the changes are made.
“We’re trying to mitigate all the risks and the officers and ourselves will do the work as robustly as we can to make sure it is done safely.
“If there are additional safety measures we need to implement on the roads we will.
“We are also recommending a campaign with Go Safe and North Wales Police to make sure people are aware which roads are going back. We need to communicate effectively with all our communities so they are fully aware of the changes.
“Lives and road safety are important to us which is why we are taking the time needed to do it right. I’ve tried to do my job as best I can and the officers have worked incredibly hard behind the scenes.
Some councillors wanted more roads to go back. We’re not going to take that risk at this stage, but we are recommending the 52 in the consultation to the Executive Board.”
‘Mess’
Cllr Pritchard added: “This was a mess from the very start. The Welsh Government were told and no-one listened.
“What I would say to any government, not just the Welsh Government, is learn from this and don’t do it again. The numbers on the petitions, the money that has been spent. We’ll never get a true cost on what’s been spent on this.
“It’s millions upon millions at a time when local authorities are struggling for money.”
Cllr Bithell confirmed that the council had kept the old speed limit signage in storage and hoped reusing them would speed up the process., but he expressed frustration at being put in a difficult position by the Senedd.
“I think this could have been avoided if it had been done in a different way but that’s an issue for Welsh Government to address.
“This was in the Welsh Labour manifesto and I know Lee Waters has taken the brunt of the blame, but the Welsh Government needs to take collective responsibility for the situation they have caused.
“Ken Skates MS has also taken a lot of stick as he attempts to right the wrongs of this but I admire him for putting it right.”
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Meanwhile in Llandod the limit is almost totally ignored – even in residential side streets – and nobody does anything about it
The report shows that 145 people out of a total 102,346 license holders in Wrexham (as of 1/6/2019) want the 52 roads set to 30mph. That is just 0.14% or 1 in 700 drivers. These “general responses” have no relevance to the decision on individual roads. There has been a 28% reduction in casualties on 20mph and 30mph roads in Wales in the year since the default 20mph was implemented. That’s more than double the reduction in any of the past 20 years except for Covid lockdown which was only 23%. Hence the risk increase from putting limits back up… Read more »
I demand that speed limits are reduced to 10mph, millions of substandard drivers should be banned from our roads for life, car journeys should only be legal if absolutely necessary – so no casual driving by people because they have nothing better to do.
Anyone who disagrees with this or gives a down arrow is an evil murderer – I believe we have a few on here.
Troll 🙄
The problem in Wrexham is of their own making in that they were not prepared to put in the effort to consider exemptions in the first place, which is why they ended up with the smallest number of any council in Wales. I even know of a stretch of road that was 30mph but that they reduced to 20mph several months after the default limit was applied (and they are now proposing to up it again to 30mph). Now they are proposing uplifts and in some of them they have included stretches of road that can be 30mph combined with… Read more »
Of the actual responses , 2 in favour but 5 against the uplift, but because they include the “general responses” they are saying 147 are in favour with only 12 against and the decision should be to uplift the speed limit, but as Rod King says above the general responses should have no relevance on the individual decisions.
Mark Pritchard is show-boating as usual. It was literally the job of the Council to have consulted properly in the first place and use the flexibility that already existed in the guidance to make Exceptions to the default – as some other authorities did. It was Wrexham’s choice to make minimal exceptions, not the WGs
Absolutely 100% correct !!! If you need to see how it is done correctly Wrexham just look at how the North Wales Trunk Road Agency went about the job.
The journey from Dol to Caernarfon was hardly affected…!
So the Fates are drawing lots to see who dies and who suffers life changing injuries on Mount Olympus and in the Halls of Hades…
Or Powys CC where they had more exempted roads that all of North Wales combined with full resident and councillor consultation. With revised guidance they are now repeating the review of all suggestions since implemenation prior to public consultation on each stretch
As. Motorist, I whole heartedly agree with 20 mph limits by Schools/ playing fields/ Hospitals..but to have it on roads where it is totally unwarranted is a blatant misuse of the Public Purse. The millions upon millions of pounds spent on this most unpopular pet project could have been spent on more deserving projects, like fixing the roads, for a start. I don’t believe the figures for a minute. I believe they’re massaged as a financial damage limitation’ exercise from Cardiff to give the false impression that it works. It’s been a failure & is wholly unpopular with business as… Read more »