Welsh village loses bus service in fallout over 20mph speed limit
‘Aviva must reverse their decision given the dangerous situation it will leave bus-users in’
‘We can already see the damage being done by Labour’s blanket 20mph ban’
RESIDENTS of a Welsh village say they are being isolated after a bus company axed the only local route over the new 20mph speed limit.
The only stop in Llandegla, a Denbighshire village with a population of 500, will be cut by bus company Arriva as it claimed the new limit imposed by the Welsh Government adds too much time to its drivers’ journeys.
The changes are set to come into force on Sunday after Arriva Wales conducted a review of its timetable and service provision in North Wales. Villagers in Llandegla said passengers would be forced to walk along unsafe stretches of road to reach an alternative stop.
Community councillor Gwyneth Dillon said the move would “cause a huge amount of hardship”.
One resident, Neena Barlow said: “Let’s hope Arriva take note of all the letters they will receive on this issue and act responsibly by reversing their decision, given the dangerous situation their present decision will leave our village bus-users in.”
David Jones, MP for Clwyd West, who opposed the Welsh Labour Government’s controversial new speed limit said it would create “additional challenges and burdens” for businesses.
In 2023, Wales became the first country in the UK to drop the default speed limit on residential roads from 30mph to 20mph. Although the changes were implemented on Sept 17, motorists were given a “grace period” to get used to the slower speed limit which ended on Monday. Punishments for those breaching the law include fines, endorsements or even the loss of a driving licence.
A spokesman for Arriva Wales said: “The withdrawal of this service in Llandegla is due to the impact of 20mph on the 51 and X51 services. To be clear this is not to say that Llandegla and its speed limits are the issue but now the service overall is taking longer due to reduced speeds across the network. The consequences of this change in speed has been severe and has caused increased lost mileage and reduced punctuality.
“We have been open in raising our concerns with Transport for Wales (TFW) the Welsh government and local authorities. There have also been press statements and questions raised in the Senedd about this on the basis of our concerns and the consequences.”
The service to Llanedgla has been diverted to the main A525 road – but it will also stop serving the Tweedmill Shopping Outlet in St Asaph.
Natasha Asghar, shadow transport minister in the Senedd, said: “Labour’s blanket 20mph will negatively impact the people of Wales and already we can see the damage being done. Labour should drop their anti-worker, antigrowth and anti-driver policies punishing people just trying to get from A to B.” The Welsh Government claimed the changes to the speed limit would reduce collisions, save lives and reduce injuries. A spokesman said the impact of the new 20mph sped limit was being “continually” monitored.