A bid to return the default speed limit in built-up areas in Wales to 30mph has been defeated in the Senedd, just over a year after the law was introduced. The Welsh Conservatives put forward a motion to overturn a law which set the default speed limit at 20mph in built-up areas.
But Plaid Cymru and Labour members overwhelmingly voted to reject the proposal, arguing the policy was helping improve road safety across the country. Senedd members voted against the motion by 37 to 14.
Wales became the first country in the 海角视频 to reduce the default speed limit in built-up areas on September 17, 2023. The law has proved controversial since its implementation, with a petition against the law having been signed by nearly 470,000 people the largest in Senedd history.
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The Welsh Government has said 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.
However, both the former and present transport ministers have accepted there were issues with the way the policy was implemented. Lee Waters who was previously transport minister in the Welsh Government under Mark Drakeford and was the driving force behind the default speed limit maintained the rule change was working but says the government has undermined the messaging around the policy.
He said: "My worry is that the behavioural advisors we had in the run up to implementation said you're going to get a section of the population who are going to be evangelists. They're going to stick to 20, they're going to be persuading all their friends. You're going to get a section of the population who are going to absolutely hate it. No matter what you do, you're not going to persuade them. What you should be focused on are the bunch of people in the middle who are going to be influenced by others and who are going to need persuading."
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"In the first six months we've seen behaviour change. We've seen speeds come down, but now the messaging has changed - the policy hasn't changed, the messaging has changed; and all we're hearing about now is negatives. We're hearing about how imperfect it was, how unpopular it is. And my concern is that middle group could well be influenced to drop their compliance and there's a danger that in the next figures we might see casualties and deaths start to creep up again.
"I've had taxi drivers say to me, it's all changing in September so we don't need to bother sticking to 20. And that's the wrong message, but that's the message that they're hearing. There's a real danger that we unwittingly undermine the success of our own policy by the tone that we're setting. I think we need to say, a year in, it's worked. It's not been perfect, but its working.""
Nevertheless, in the Senedd on Wednesday, Mr Waters argued it was clear the policy was working, insisting the data showed average speeds were down and collisions on all roads were at their lowest since the Covid lockdowns.
He said: "Casualties are down by 32%, which is the single most effective road safety intervention that has been made. And lives have been saved six fewer deaths in the first six months compared to the year before. The Conservatives say that the policy has been disastrous. I think that these are results that we can be proud of."
Mr Waters accused the Tories of political "opportunism", arguing the Conservatives supported 20mph limits in many of the areas they had been implemented. Conservative shadow minister for transport, Natasha Asghar MS, told the Senedd the lower speed limit could cost the Welsh economy up to £9 bnand argued it should be scrapped.
She said: "It's been a year since the rollout of this policy, and despite Labour ministers telling us all that the people of Wales would eventually get used to it and that the uproar surrounding it was pretty much down to people just not liking it, I think we now know for sure that this is purely a firefighting move in an attempt to downplay public sentiment."
While she said the new transport secretary Ken Skates had a "more pragmatic, sensible stance" and welcomed his "listening programme" to investigate areas that should change back, she referred to the rollout as "draconian". Mr Skates said he did not believe the Labour and Conservative positions were that far apart, and areas where the reduced speed limit was wrong were being looked at.
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In the chamber Ms Asghar was defiant after being given an official reprimand for social media posts saying Wales had a "blanket" 20mph speed limit. Ms Asghar had used social media to say Wales had a "blanket" 20mph policy.
However, the standards commissioner and a committee made up of fellow MSs said her comments were inaccurate because there are exemptions to the policy. The committee ruled she brought the Senedd into "disrepute" by using the word.
A default lower speed limit in built-up areas was introduced in Wales in September last year but not all 30mph roads have seen speeds reduced as councils have the power to exempt certain routes.
Addressing the Senedd, Ms Asghar argued there were "bigger issues at hand" and insisted the comments were just her opinion. She said: "I, Natasha Asghar, solely and respectfully object to the ruling that I have breached three rules within the code of conduct."
"To say that I brought the Senedd into disrepute by using the word 'blanket', for me, is purely absurd. Let me be abundantly clear to everyone: I make no apology whatsoever for standing up for my constituents and residents across Wales when it comes to the Welsh Government's 20mph speed limit policy."
Ms Asghar was censured by the Senedd, an official reprimand noting disapproval of a member's behaviour. The censure was passed unanimously with no objections, including from Ms Asghar. For the latest analysis of the biggest stories, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here