JUST ONE OPPONENT TO 20MPH PILOT
JUST one person has objected to plans for the first urban pilot scheme ahead of 20mph becoming the default speed limit in Welsh built-up areas.
The pilot will impose a 20mph maximum on all 94 roads in north Llanelli.
It is one of eight pilots to be implemented and monitored before the Welsh Government rolls out 20mph as the default speed limit in cities, towns and villages.
The reduction from 30mph will increase journey times in vehicles, but Carmarthenshire County Council’s consultation on the Llanelli pilot resulted in objections from just one person.
This suggests there could be widespread public support for 20mph becoming the urban norm.
“The proposed 20mph speed limit envelops a predominantly residential area where pedestrian volumes are high and where more vulnerable road users are likely,” said a council officers’ report for Carmarthenshire councillors.
“The 20mph speed limit will regulate vehicle speeds and facilitate safer and effective movement of traffic, pedestrians and other vulnerable road users in this area by creating a safer environment.”
The sole objector raised several concerns, including that roads in Dafen already had speed humps to reduce traffic speed and some had 20mph limits.
Officers responded that the areawide 20mph would support the existing traffic calming measures and replace existing 20mph limits.
The objector also queried why the proposed 20mph pilot had no finish date. Officers said the benefits of reduced speed limits in urban areas were well documented, but north Llanelli’s 20mph order could be revoked later if necessary, subject to consultation.
Bus and lorry operators, emergency services and Llanelli town and rural councils were invited to comment on the proposed pilot. None objected.
In May, the government expected the Llanelli pilot to start in mid-July, but the council has not yet set a launch date.
A 20mph pilot at St Dogmaels, Pembrokeshire, began last month. Local county councillor Mike James said the scheme had been well received by residents, and the 20mph limit would enhance the community and the visitor experience.
The next two pilots, both due to start in September, cover northwest Cardiff and Cilfrew village near Neath.
The St Dogmaels and Llanelli pilots differ in two important aspects from the eventual roll-out of 20mph as the default limit.
One difference is that the signage uses existing legislation, which means 20mph repeater signs must be shown. The government plans to amend legislation so that 20mph will be shown at entry points to 20mph areas but without repeater signs, while any exempted roads in built-up areas will need repeater 30mph signs.
Another key difference is that the first pilots will not use average speed cameras (ASCs) to enforce the 20mph limit.
An expert taskforce on 20mph told the government last year that the reduced speed limit would need to be “backed up with strong enforcement in the early stages”.