North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has once again blasted the Labour Welsh Government’s decision to reduce the default 30mph speed limit in Wales to 20mph, set to be rolled out on 17th September, and asked what discussions the Minister has had with the Police regarding the implications for them of the forthcoming, unpopular new limit.
In a question to the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip on “20 mph Speed Limits and Emergency Services” in this afternoon’s Plenary meeting, Mr Isherwood highlighted last month’s North Wales Live survey which found that 88% of people opposed the reduced speed limit and also referred to comments made by the Chief Constable of North Wales Police and the Assistant Chief Constable of South Wales Police.
He said:
“Behind the Welsh Government's selective evidence, we know that independent 20 mph research studies for the UK Transport Department found no significant safety outcome in terms of collisions and casualties, and by Queen’s University Belfast, Edinburgh University and the University of Cambridge found ‘little impact’ on road safety.
“We know that Police-recorded road accidents and Transport for Wales data show that the blanket change will mean that the accident rate on 20 mph roads would exceed 44 per cent, whilst falling to 4.2 per cent on 30 mph roads.
“So, what discussions has the Minister had with the Police, given the leaked letter from South Wales Police's Assistant Chief Constable stating that the change would ‘influence the speeds at which’ responders can get to emergencies, and the statement by the North Wales Police Chief Constable that her ‘approach is going to be one of deploying my resources in the areas of the highest harm ... if it's an area where we've had people killed or serious injuries on a road where a 30 becomes a 20, then I'll be interested in looking at those areas'.
In her response, the Minister, Jane Hutt MS, said that “the police have worked closely with the team in the Welsh Government to deliver the 20 mph implementation” and “that the new 20 mph speed limit is not a blanket limit”.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Isherwood added:
“As the North Wales Police Chief Constable has stated ‘I can't imagine anybody being against 20 miles an hour outside schools or areas where people are particularly vulnerable’. Despite the Minister’s protestations, we instead face what amounts to a blanket ban, where the Welsh Government’s exceptions policy leaves Councils with limited discretion.”