Welsh government signals rethink over 20mph limit
WALES’S new transport minister has said the Government will “correct” its guidance around the introduction of 20mph speed limits in built-up areas.
In an interview with North Wales Live, Ken Skates said in many areas “routes that shouldn’t have been included, were”.
He said he wanted the speed limit decisions to be left to local communities, without the Government imposing them.
“There will be change that addresses the concerns that a lot of people, including half a million people who signed the petition, raised on a consistent basis,” he said.
“These are: that there is generally universal support for 20mph being tar- geted in areas where there are schools, built-up areas like housing estates, and outside hospitals and so-forth, but in many areas routes that shouldn’t have been included, were.
“We’ve put our hands up to say ‘the guidance has to be corrected’.
“This will enable councils to revert back those routes that are not appropriate. Whether the change will be radical will largely depend on what people want.”
Mr Skates, who was appointed transport minister last month in new First Minister Vaughan Gething’s first Cabi- net, said the Government will instead listen to communities and implement changes they want.
“I want communities to own speedlimit decisions rather than having them imposed upon them,” he said.
“That is why this national programme of listening is going to be so important. We want to ease out what it is that people in their communities actually want to see happen, then implement the change according to the citizens’ voice.
“I imagine in some parts of Wales we will see relatively few changes and in others we will see quite a lot more, but we won’t know the degree of the change until we have completed that exercise, listening to people and taking stock of the routes people would like to see return to 30mph.”
The policy was introduced in September last year under previous first minister Mark Drakeford.