A NEW survey has found there is still large opposition to the controversial 20mph speed limit across Wales, almost a year on since being introduced.
As of September 17, 2023, the majority of residential roads throughout the country changed from 30mph to 20mph.
That was, according to the Welsh Government, to help 'save lives', with hopes to reduce collisions, cut noise and encourage more to use alternative modes of transport.
The change was been met with anger and frustration with a petition opposing it collecting 469,571 signatures, making it the most signed petition in Senedd history.
New guidance was introduced by Transport Secretary Ken Skates this year, allowing local councils to revert certain roads back to 30mph.
Both Wrexham Council and Flintshire Council have been inundated with requests from residents to change roads back to 30mph.
And according to YouGov research, it is clear that strong opposition remains to the 20mph, almost a year on from its introduction.
The survey, which sampled the views of 1,151 adults, showed there is still major opposition to the 20mph speed limit
Seven in ten (72%) say they oppose the new limit, including half (50%) saying they ‘strongly’ oppose it. This compares to only a quarter of the Welsh public (24%) supporting the policy.
Opposition is strongest among Conservative and Reform UK voters, nine in ten of whom oppose a uniform 20mph limit, but also holds only limited support among voters for the parties that supported the policy – with 59% of Labour and 56% of Plaid voters opposed.
Many have even gone as far as completely ignoring the new limit, with four in ten Welsh drivers (40%) admitting to exceeding the 20mph limit ‘most’ or ‘all the time’, while a further third (33%) say they’ll occasionally go over the limit.
Only 6% of drivers say they never breach the new 20mph speed limit, with another one in six (17%) saying they have only done so rarely.
The research indicates that few Welsh people believe a reduced speed limit actually achieves many of its supposed improvements. Excluding making it safer for pedestrians, which half of Welsh people (48%) believe it does, the idea that the new 20mph limit has improved things finds little support.
As many Welsh people (28%) believe the new limit worsens safety for drivers as improves it, with four in ten (38%) viewing it as having made no difference. A similar story is true when it comes to reducing noise in residential areas, with one in five (20%) thinking the change has yielded benefits, 22% feeling it has worsened the situation, while a majority (53%) think it has again made little difference either way.
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When it comes to air quality, though, twice as many believe the new speed limit has made matters worse (32%) than made things better (16%), even if more (41%) still believe it has ultimately made no difference.
Another issue with the policy in practice is that 60% of the Welsh public say that it is unclear which roads the new limit applies to, with only 37% saying they find the distinction clear.
In response to the YouGov research, a Welsh Government spokesperson said: “The principal objective of the policy is to save lives and reduce casualties on our roads. We were always aware that the policy would need refinement to get the right speeds on the right roads and our listening programme alongside the publication of new guidance co-produced with local authorities is helping us do that.
“The latest police road collision data shows that collisions on 20mph and 30mph roads combined are the lowest recorded figures outside of the Covid pandemic with additional data published earlier this year illustrating an average drop in speeds of 4mph - from 28.9mph to 24.8mph. So, we know things are moving in the right direction.”
Natasha Asghar MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Transport Minister, said: “It is clear that the opposition to Labour’s 20mph policy is widespread, continuing to grow and the Welsh Government’s ‘listening’ exercise is clearly not having the desired affect on the Welsh public changing their mind in relation to this madcap Labour/Plaid policy.
“This latest poll shows people in Wales are rightly frustrated with the £33 million policy that will hit the Welsh economy by up to £9 billion.
“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.”
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