Welsh Government earmarks £5m for councils to remove 20mph limit on some roads

Emily Price

The Welsh Government has earmarked £5m to help councils remove roads from the 20mph default speed limit in line with new guidance.

It comes after the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Ken Skates, urged residents to contact their local authorities to let them know which roads should be exempted from the 20mph default.

The controversial speed limit was introduced on 30mph roads in Wales last September under former First Minister Mark Drakeford.

The £32m policy saw protests and a record breaking Senedd petition calling for the new default to be axed.

The Welsh Government launched a “listening programme” after Mr Drakeford stepped down and began work with Wales’ 22 local authorities to prepare the ground for changes to the guidance on which local roads can be exempted from 20mph in future.

The new guidance announced today (July 16) has been co-developed with highways authorities, the Welsh Local Government Association, and the County Surveyor’s Society for Wales.

From September, highway authorities can start to apply the new framework to assess speed limits on roads where a change is considered appropriate.

The numbers of roads reviewed is expected to vary considerably depending on the volume of feedback received by each highway authority.

As a result the timescales for delivering change will vary from one local authority to another.

Evidence

The Welsh Government says the guidance provides a framework to support highways authorities to make the right decisions for local roads – particularly when those calls are finely balanced.

It prioritises 20mph limits where pedestrians and cyclists frequently mix with vehicles unless “strong evidence” supports that higher speeds are safe.

Local authorities will shortly be invited to submit bids for funding for them to be able to alter roads in line with the new guidance.

An additional £5m has been made available for this financial year.

Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport, Ken Skates said: “I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has taken the time to provide us with their feedback. It’s been great to see so many people getting involved.

“The recent collisions data for Wales and the reduction in casualties was encouraging. We have still got a way to go but it shows things are moving in the right direction.

“By working together and supporting highways authorities to make changes where it is right to do so, I believe we can continue to make 20mph a real success story for Wales.”
Cllr Andrew Morgan OBE, Leader of WLGA and Spokesperson on Transport said:

“We welcome the way the Cabinet Secretary has engaged with councils to review the original guidance and enable councils to relook at some sections of strategic routes, including bus routes.

“These are not easy decisions for councils and safety remains our priority. There will need to be a high level of confidence that, if and where the limit is raised back to 30mph, it will not result in the very risks the policy was designed to mitigate.”

‘Unclear’

Shadow Transport Minister Natasha Asghar called for a timeline on the implementation of the changes across local roads.

She said: “Whilst I appreciate that Labour and the Cabinet Secretary appear to be listening to the public on 20mph, it is unclear who will be seeing these changes and how quickly they will be implemented.’

“Councils, who are already stretched due to Labour’s budget cuts, will be left to sort out the mess the Labour Government has made of their 20mph policy and I cannot see there being many significant changes as a result. £5 million is being given to councils in Wales, who have to bid for funding and there does not seem to be a timeline in place which will undoubtedly lead to sheer frustration for drivers from all corners of Wales.

“The Welsh Conservatives have been clear; we will scrap 20mph, roll out a targeted approach in sensitive areas, reverse Labour’s road building ban and get Wales moving in the right direction.”