20 really is plenty

Gwern Gwynfil

A recent poll suggested that 70% of the Welsh population remain opposed to the ‘blanket’ 20mph zoning of residential areas across Wales.

As this is a policy which clearly works, saving lives, saving money and having negligible impacts on actual journey times, perhaps we should be wondering what the hell is wrong with us?

There are already fewer accidents and the ones that occur are less serious – this means fewer dead people and fewer people suffering life changing injuries. The financial savings in terms of accidents averted are significant enough to more than compensate for the cost of the 20mph rollout within the first year or two.

Not to mention the avoided human costs of all those individual tragedies that will not happen in the decades to come because drive speeds in residential areas have slowed. It even appears as if vehicle insurance premiums will be coming down as a result of the reduction in accidents. Not to be sniffed at in a country suffering a cost of living crisis.

Not all Sunshine and Light

Whilst this is clearly a good policy and a change we should all embrace, there are plenty of criticisms to make of the implementation of the new residential street default 20mph regulation. There are even more when it comes to the utter failure to communicate this change effectively. Much of the blame for people’s failure to understand the benefits of the change has to be laid at the door of Welsh Government and our current leadership in Wales.

Whilst the data driven and evidence led case in favour of this change was strong and implementing it as a default change was the most efficient and cheapest way of making the change, Welsh Government have been characteristically poor in their delivery and implementation. The change to the law has been entirely vindicated already by the data that’s been gathered. Over time this evidence will simply be overwhelmingly in favour of the change and the positive impacts that have flowed in its wake.

By providing fairly loose guidance and not countering the innate inertia of our unnecessary plethora of local councils in Wales, nowhere near enough of those councils gave due consideration to the road networks in their areas. This means that the relatively small number of roads where it does not make sense to revert to the new default 20mph were overlooked and bundled into the wider change.

Populists

Easy targets for the populists and fomenters of disinformation and misinformation. The trick of using a single egregious example to illustrate a point whilst conveniently ignoring the vast majority of examples and the overwhelming weight of evidence to the contrary that this provides is a classic trick from the populist playbook.

When this happens it falls to leaders in society and sensible media commentators and outlets to counter with detail, facts and a robust defence of the realities of a situation. Not to crumple at the first sign of criticism but to riposte with firm, clear argument, making the case for a law they know is right and which is demonstrably an improvement. A few exceptions simply prove the rule and can be easily addressed and modified if needed – no doubt there will be a handful of roads in every county where it will be sensible and logical to raise the speed limit without detriment to the spirit of the new law.

This defence of the 20mph default did not happen and is still not happening – a reflection of the fear and cowardice, the lack of confidence of our leaders and our media here in Wales?

Welsh Labour Cowardice

As with so much that is inadequate today in Wales we have to point the finger at the Welsh incarnation of the Labour Party. They are the government of the day, this is their law, communicating the reasoning for its implementation and making the case for the change was, and still is, their responsibility. They bottled it at launch and they’re still bottling it now.

Rather than slapping down the folly of Andrew RT Davies’ very effective ‘blanket’ 20mph campaign (factually incorrect and incredibly hypocritical as he is a known supporter of 20mph zoning in the past), Welsh Labour pursued a pissant policy of appeasement – a ‘review’ of the guidance together with some soft, weaselly words that give the impression of rowing back from their commitment to the policy.

Definitely no brave and bold champions stepping up and making it clear that this was the right thing to do, that it leads the way by being a default zoning and, most damning of all, a clear demonstration that the majority of this governing political party lack the courage of their convictions.

There are honourable exceptions of course, Lee Waters made these same points himself. He even had the decency to concede a mea culpa for the poor implementation of the change. Such a shame his colleagues failed to seize that baton and uphold his stance and the bravery and integrity it displayed.

Not on my street

 I defy you to find someone on a new 20mph road who wants the speed raised outside their own doorstep – many of the same people will still be against what they have been told is a negative change that damages Wales (even whilst they recognise the positive change on their own street).

Our leaders are there to help resolve such cognitive dissonance by providing an accurate representation of the reality and by making the global argument in favour of a change we can see is a positive one on our own doorsteps.

This was an opportunity for politicians to show that they are honest, that they can be trusted, that they will take sensible long term decisions in defiance of popular feeling and ill founded consternation whipped up by populists and the right wing press. Worth noting that it is the English media that have stoked the fires started by RT’s rhetoric even whilst overlooking the increasingly large number of English Councils who are effectively implementing the same default 20mph zoning in their residential areas. Why let the truth get in the way of a good story eh?

Should Welsh leaders draw attention to the fomenting of discontent in Wales by English papers and English Tories?

Yes, yes they should.

Should they expose the hypocrisy of these commentators and campaigners?

Of Andrew RT Davies?

Yes, yes they should.

Do they do so?

No, no they do not.

Paradise Lost

 Welsh politicians have blown an opportunity to restore faith in politics. They continue to show that they are weak and aimless, they continue to allow the public to foster and cherish the belief that politicians are untrustworthy, their actions continue to undermine the integrity of political life and therefore the health of civic society across Wales in general.

The people of Wales are justifiably angry, worried and often afraid for the future – they can’t be blamed for thinking that no one speaks for them, that no one represents them, that no one who serves them has the best interests of Wales and the people who live here written into the very language of their being.

Do we have a right to expect such depth of commitment from our political leaders?

Yes, yes we do.

Can we come to trust and believe in such leaders again in the future?

Yes, yes we can.

Will this be straightforward.

No, no it will not.