Speaking out against Welsh Government plans to introduce a 20mph default speed limit across Wales from September, in yesterday’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, North Wales MS Mark Isherwood called for the views of residents of Buckley, where a pilot scheme was carried out, to be heard.
In the Debate on a Petition to 'Stop the change of speed limits to 20mph on 17th September', Mr Isherwood pointed out that whilst this petition gained 21,920 signatures before being closed, one set up in Buckley, which was one of eight pilot areas to trial a default 20mph speed limit, has reached 58,546 signatures.
He said:
“This petition, as we've heard, was closed early. Its 21,920 signatures would otherwise have risen far higher. A better indication is provided by the petition to 'Stop the Welsh Government imposing blanket 20 MPH speed limits', launched in Buckley, Flintshire, selected by the Welsh Government as one of eight pilot areas to trial a default 20 MPH speed limit, which had reached 58,546 signatures by lunchtime today, including 84 added just this morning. This reflects the real lived experience of people living in the North Wales pilot area, feeling sidestepped by the Deputy Minister who selected it.
“The 60 per cent support claimed by the Deputy Minister, we understand, was polled before the pilots went live, and his figleaf of an exceptions policy leaves Councils with extremely limited discretion. Labour Councillors have told me that.
“He ignores all research challenging his claim that a default 20 MPH speed limit will reduce casualties. In pursuit, as we've heard, of evidence-based road safety policies, the UK Department for Transport published an authoritative, independent 20 mph Research Study in November 2018, that found no significant safety outcome in terms of collisions and casualties in residential areas. Following this, as we've heard, a 2022 study from Queen's University Belfast, Edinburgh University and the University of Cambridge found that reducing speed limits from 30 mph to 20 mph has had 'little impact' on road safety.
“The Minister has previously quoted Police Records of road accidents for 2021, which showed that 53 per cent of all road accidents happened on 30 mph roads. The same figures show that 3 per cent of all road accidents occur on 20 mph roads. Transport for Wales data estimates that the change will increase 20 mph speed limits from 2.5 per cent to 36.9 per cent of roads in Wales, whilst reducing 30 mph speed limits from 37.4 per cent to 3 per cent. This would mean that the accident rate on 20 mph roads would approach 50 per cent, whilst falling to 4.2 per cent on 30 mph roads.
“The flood of e-mails I've received from residents of ‘pilot town’ Buckley up to this morning have included, 'Many of these roads are busy access roads on steep hills. The lorries are struggling to get up the hills in such a low gear, and sticking to such a low speed downhill is hard on the brakes'.
“A cyclist wrote - one of many, actually - 'Instead of overtaking and getting out of the way, these cars, vans and lorries will be driving close behind, in front or alongside me. This has not been thought through'. Another resident said, 'It's doing the opposite of what it supposedly set out to do. There's more pollution with cars chugging around in lower gears, people pay less attention to the road and more on the speedometer, leading to incidents on roads that previously had none'. And, as another said this weekend, 'The so-called default scheme is a mistake, resulting in bad driving, near misses and increased pollution'.
“I speak as the father and grandfather of Buckley residents who accept the benefit of this on certain residential estates, but totally oppose what they perceive to be the quasi-blanket approach thus far adopted. Those people and their neighbours want to be heard.”