Welsh Conservatives lose vote to scrap 20mph default speed limit

Emily Price

In the Senedd yesterday evening the Welsh Conservatives have failed in their bid to scrap the introduction of the new 20mph speed limit set to come into force this weekend.

A debate was led by the Tories on Wednesday (September 13) in an attempt stop the new speed limit which will see restricted roads change from 30mph to 20mph.

Following the debate Welsh Conservative Senedd Members voted against the new road safety regulation whilst Labour and Plaid Cymru MSs voted in support of the roll out.

During the debate, the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters said the Conservatives have been against “every progressive reform” in the country.

He said: “They were opposed to the creation of the NHS, they opposed the creation of minimum wage, they were against the ban on smoking in public places. They were even against votes for women.

“They are always on the wrong side of history and they never learn. We will look back in years to come at the claims that have been made just as we saw with the claims that the Conservatives made about the impact of the charge for free carrier bags, the introduction of free bus passes for older people, the changes to laws on smacking children.

“We will find that their fears are overblown and their claims for calamity just don’t stack up”

The Shadow Minister for Transport, Natasha Asghar said there was still time for the Welsh Government to “abandon” their plans for the new speed limit and instead focus on “targeted measures”.

She also accused the Welsh Government of planning to look at changing other speed limits in Wales.

Ms Asghar asked the deputy minister for transport: “Are 20mph limits just the tip of the iceberg? Should residents expect to see this government ramp up it’s anti-drive agenda going forward?

“A councillor in north Wales emailed a resident saying, ‘over the next 12 – 18 months, Welsh government guidance is going to be provided to enable further speed changes to be reviewed for 40mph, 50mph and national speed limit roads.”

Poll

During the debate, Welsh Conservative Senedd Member, Tom Giffard pointed to the recent ITV Wales poll that showed two thirds of people in Wales oppose the new 20mph default speed limit.

Speaking in the chamber, Mr Giffard said: “With his usual flippant attitude, the Deputy Minister dismissed the poll as an outlier, just as he always does.

“He dismisses those that don’t agree with him. But I think deep down even he knows that the Welsh Labour Government have lost the battle of public opinion on this issue.”

The controversial image of the Leader of the Welsh Conservatives holding a “20 is plenty” sign during a press photo was raised in the chamber by the Leader of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Mr Iorwerth said: “We know of the picture of the leader of the Conservative Party supporting the 20’s Plenty for Us campaign because he thought that that suited at that particular time; he was more than happy to see that photograph taken.

“Now they’re calling for the scrapping of this change because he’s decided that that is politically expedient today, although he knows that the Welsh Government won’t scrap this change.”

The leader of the opposition intervened saying: “I wouldn’t have dared accuse you of hypocrisy, but if I look at the Record, I think it stands for itself that there is hypocrisy there.

“There is nothing wrong with the position of standing up for your own communities that have been overdeveloped to say that 20 mph is plenty in those particular communities, as I fought for in 2018.

“But, to have the blanket ban in proposals being put on the table at the moment is not the situation that will take Wales forward and will not reduce casualties as the Government wishes, as my lead spokesperson on transport highlighted that the Spanish figures are identifying with. ”

Wales will be the only UK nation to implement a 20mph default speed limit and the Welsh Government expects it to result in 40 percent fewer road collisions, saving six to 10 lives every year and avoiding 1,200- 2,000 people being injured.

The Welsh Conservatives have claimed that the new speed limit will cost the economy in Wales billions of pounds.

But speaking at a Welsh Government press conference on Monday (September 11) Mark Drakeford said although there will be a one off cost of £32m, the road safety reform would save the NHS three times as much every year.