'Huge response' on 20mph and update on when your local road could change back to 30mph
There have been "thousands upon thousands" of responses to the consultation on switching some 20mph Welsh roads back to 30mph. The new limit was introduced by Welsh Government a year ago - and has proved to be the most controversial legislation since devolution in 1999.
The current Transport Secretary Ken Skates instantly signalled a change in attitude on 20mph when he was appointed earlier this year, but ruled out scrapping it. He announced a programme of listening to people's views on the limit and that the Welsh Government would revise the exceptions guidance in partnership with councils.
This is widely expected to lead to an increase in 30mph 'exception' roads. That work on consulting the public has been taking place in recent months - with a very strong response from the public.
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But while the number of responses has been huge there are a lower number of actual roads cited for change - as many individual highways have had scores of responses calling for a return of 30mph.
Mr Skates said now was the time for action and lists should be published soon by councils of the roads they are looking to return to 30mph. This will then see traffic orders drawn up and consultations. He hopes that some roads will revert back to 30mph before Christmas but said the majority of changes will come in the first part of 2025.
Mr Skates said: "The number of responses has been huge - thousands upon thousands. We are steadily getting the full figures in now about the number of responses and roads identified.
"For example, Wrexham have had 451 responses. What is quite striking is across Wales is that whilst the number of responses is very large, the number of roads that people are identifying is comparatively small because people are identifying the very same roads. So in the case of Wrexham, Mold Road as you enter Wrexham.
"People are identifying the very same roads time and time again. The response has been incredible and I'm really glad we have done this.
"We have learnt a lot about how to implement policy and ensure people feel they are developing policies alongside the politicians who serve them, and how to get policy implementation right. We are on a decent course now."
He added: "Most councils are now going through responses, looking at what routes have been proposed and they'll then be producing the lists of roads that are to be reviewed. Then it will be for all of the councils to decide what routes to change back to 30mph and have to do so through statutory process, through Traffic Regulation Orders, which will then be consulted on.
"We will see the majority of changes begin at the start of next year - the early months of next year but I'm hoping we will see some changes by the end of this year as well. That will show people that this is an exercise that has been worth contributing to, contributing to meaningful change.
"Where the policy has not worked well then changes will take place and people have generally been identifying what we often call arterial routes, or through routes, as being the most problematic for driving at 20mph. Generally these are are roads that people have identified that the councils will now be reviewing."
Asked whether this was an admittance that this had been poorly implemented by Welsh Government and local councils, he said: "We need to take responsibility primarily and learn lessons on how to implement policy and accept that mistakes were made in the implementation and the speed in which it was implemented.
"Councils have done an incredible job of listening to people since the policy was introduced and gauging which routes should revert back to 30mph. I've been deeply impressed with how councils across Wales, especially North Wales, have prioritised this and responded to the public."
He said he was now hopeful that as a result of what councils have done and the way people have contributed that by summer next year they would have a policy that "the vast majority of people believe is now right - the right speed limits on the right roads".
The Welsh Conservatives remain committed to scrapping the 20mph default altogether - and a majority of the Welsh public remain opposed to the default limit. On this, Mr Skates said: "The difficulty in scrapping it is that we know from the responses and the number of roads actually identified by the public to go back to 30 is that it is a really small proportion of the overall road network. The difficulty with scrapping it is that if we reverse all the 20mph roads back to 30mph we would then have to respond to public calls to reduce speed limits to 20mph where it is popular and the right speed limit.
"That would amount to a huge number of roads - in each case TROs would have to be pursued. So the process of getting to the middle point by doing it through scrapping 20mph would be far lengthier and far costlier than the route we are taking which is to revert back those roads that are currently 20mph that should have remained at 30mph. It is the quickest and most cost effective way of bringing people together and meeting in the middle ground and hopefully having the policy settled by the summer of next year."