Wales’ 20mph speed limits force cycle race to change route
A cycle race has been shortened and rerouted because of the introduction of the 20mph default speed limit across Wales, organisers said.
Three of the five stages of the Junior Tour of Wales, which starts on Friday, have been changed as support vehicles would not be able to keep up with the riders without breaking the limit.
The race finish has been moved from Nantgaredig, Carmarthenshire, the home of three-time Olympic cycling medallist Emma Finucane.
“Challenging”
Mr George said organisers had asked for temporary road orders to ensure the riders and convoy could maintain speeds through 20mph sections but were unable to secure them.
“Whilst some will recognise that cyclists cannot be prosecuted for speeding, we still have a convoy of vehicles to manage and we also have no benchmark for what happens if an incident happens within a 20mph zone,” he said.
“We make decisions to protect riders, organisers, ourselves and cycling in general.
“It is not as black and white as just about the limits, especially when 20mph zones are not all the same.
“Some sections, uphill, the speed limit will not be exceeded and is therefore not an issue; other sections that are downhill may see riders doubling the speed limit.”
The Junior Tour of Wales is an annual race which started in 1981 and participants have included former Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas and double mountain bike gold medallist Tom Pidcock.
A total of 100 riders will start the race in Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, on Friday and head through Powys and Pembrey Country Park in Carmarthenshire over the weekend.
The race concludes with a final stage through Monmouthshire on Monday.
Lifesaving
In September last year Wales became the first country in the UK to drop the default speed limit from 30mph to 20mph in built-up areas.
A petition against the law, on the Welsh Parliament webpage, was signed by nearly 470,000 people.
The Welsh Government says cutting the speed limit will protect lives and save the NHS in Wales £92 million a year.
It predicts the change will save up to 100 lives and 20,000 casualties in the first decade.
Not all 30mph roads will see speed limits reduced as councils have the power to exempt certain routes.
The project is costing around £33 million to implement and has proven controversial, with reports of the new 20mph signs being defaced in areas including Conwy, Gwynedd, Newport, Torfaen, Wrexham and Flintshire.
The Welsh Conservatives opposed the scheme and cited Welsh Government documents estimating the cost to the Welsh economy of increased journey times at anywhere between £2.7 billion and £8.9 billion.
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This story has gone viral, now being reported on around the world.
Not a very good advert for Wales IMHO
Maybe they should just cycle around Cardiff. There’s no enforcement on bikes that go through red lights (nearly all of them), cutting across roads, no lights,
passing cars at 20 mph + cycling without holding the handlebars and
speeding up and down Queen.Street which is pedestriaised and supposed to be bike free,without a care on the world because they won’t be stopped.
Copying the cars are they. Redlight jumping. Box junction blocking drivers are the norm.we have 30 mph due to cars causing issues after all.
Temporary road closures don’t seem an issue in other area’s then why were they refused? This wont be the first time such closures are requested for cycle races.
Interesting comment on only 7 miles out of the 237 are an issue (being 20). So much for blanket ban davies to tub thump about. Has he warmed up yet? Bound to be dribbling all over this.
“Some sections, uphill, the speed limit will not be exceeded and is therefore not an issue; other sections that are downhill may see riders doubling the speed limit.”
In that case, they would also have exceeded the previous 30mph limit, and somehow it wasn’t an issue then.
Race came through the 20mph in Berriew a few months back and exceeded limit as it did when it was 30mph and it wasn’t a problem. Incidentally Police motor bike escorts were well over the limit – 40mph plus!
If the roads were closed none of this would be an issue. What other cycling races are held on open roads sharing with other road users? This is a non story.
Please remember that all speed limits only apply to motorised vehicles.
I think the issue here is the support vehicles travelling too far behind the cyclists on downhill urban sections, but surely the organisers could have found a solution. The support vehicles would it any case have no problem catching up outside of the limited areas or at the nearest uphill section.
Seeing organisers had prior knowledge that the default speed limit in Wales was 20 mph should have factored in any route changes. As usual this is being politicised again by the Welsh Tories who cannot go a day without whining like a cat on heat. Social media harpy Andrew RT Davies argues cost to the Welsh economy but this Conservative cretin forgets it was his attacks along with English MP opposition resulting in those morons damaging road signs costing us the Welsh taxpayer tens of thousands to repair or replace due to his/their whipping up hostility rather than coming to… Read more »
I suspect this is a liability issue for insurance etc. If a vehicle crashes exceeding 20mph who would be liable…the driver or the local authority who gave dispensation on exceeding limits?
Wales is a laughing stock. Absolutely embarrassing.
So Wales is a laughing stock because a cycling race that is going ahead this weekend in Wales, has had to change a few miles of the route.
I’m currently in another country and people who are citizens of the country I am staying are laughing at what is happening in Wales as a result of this. Just stating a fact . Don’t shoot the messenger as they say!
Really ok. Laughing at a 20mph limit that has resulted in a dramatic reduction in road accident casualties. Each to there own as they say.
The English may well be laughing now, but 20mph limits are in the pipeline for them as well.
I’m not in England
There are already a greater proportion of roads in England with a 20mph speed limit than there are in Wales. Implemented by councils of varying political hue including Tory.
So you’re staying with people who find it hilarious that a county would introduce a speed limit that has been responsible for dramatically cutting road accidents. Wow. Each to their own as they say.
People from other countries are laughing at a rule in Wales which has resulted in a popular cycle race route being changed as a result of a car not going or not allowed to go as fast as a bike because they would be breaking the speed limit ( now that for many is hilarious!) Secondly, I don’t believe that road accidents has come down. I just don’t believe anything that comes out of any government. I believe it’s a lie- there I’ve said it I am one person out of a huge percentage of people who did not vote… Read more »
“i don’t believe that road accidents has come down. I just don’t believe anything that comes out of any government. I believe it’s a lie”. No point talking to a conspiracy theorist.
Here we go! ‘ Conspiracy theorist’ !!I’m just an ordinary working class person who is stating an opinion and what I honestly believe. That’s the problem with the middle class political elite- as soon as I or other working class people say we believe governments lie which I don’t think is an astonishingly unreasonable thing to say ( whether you agree with it or not), then the labels come out- conspiracy theorist etc etc. There is no wonder working class people are put off by politics. Middle class elites obnoxiously looking down at us thinking we are not good enough,… Read more »
“I am one person out of a huge percentage of people who did not vote for any political party at the last election “
if you can’t be @rsed to take the very small effort it takes to spoil your ballot paper you’re in no position to pontificate and whine about politicians.
You’ve chosen to make yourself part of the problem you’re complaining about.
The crucial point here is, as you suggest, the already demonstrable reduction in road accidents and injuries. It’s an instance of ‘the proof of the pudding being in the eating’.
I was initially rather sceptical about the practical impact of the 20 mph restriction, though I did think that, despite the initial cost, it was probably worth trying. But it seems to be achieving its object.
Load of 20 limits in Engerlarnd. Somerset council is introducing a few new ones (requested by the locals), European countries are at it, recent report from Lyon say a big drop in accidents, a third. LTN’s are coming to England in greater quantity (Sunak tried to make it an issue but surveys said the locals liked them). Paris has a good chunk of 30kph apparently. This sounds more like the policy has a few hiccups and the biking org together, I would like to know why it was a few roads they could not work out. Was it insurance, was… Read more »
I doubt very much people are in favour of 20mph Jeff. You are right , it’s coming to England too. 20mph will soon be over the whole of the UK within a few years
Votes didn’t land in the election on the issue. Hall got shown the door quite comprehensively in London. That was a big election point from her. 20mph will be in area’s where it will be deemed to be useful. So no, not all over the UK. Just little bits of it.
See the report on the race? 230 or so miles and 7 in 20mph.
They admit they failed to get Road closure applications submitted in time.
They should start their race at first light when the roads are quiet.
Non story, you can’t race on open roads.
So basically organising , nothing to so with 20 mph speed limit. Why was the temporary closures refused, that’s the source of any issue. Only non cyclists would jump on nonsense stories like this. It’s the bad car driver that means 20 mph after all.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Oh dear, how sad, never mind!