Fury over Mark Drakeford’s ‘absolutely insane’ 20mph zone expansion

The rollout of a new 20mph speed limit for residential roads in Wales by First Minister Mark Drakeford (pictured right) has been branded ‘absolutely insane’ as fury intensified today. The Welsh Conservatives have tabled a motion to scrap the policy amid warnings it will cost at least £33million to implement and cost Wales’ economy £9billion.

Wales’s emergency services have also warned that the blanket 20mph limits starting this Sunday will slow down response times, effectively putting lives at risk. And a interactive map on the Welsh Government’s website to show locations of the 20mph roads crashed this morning amid high demand, but later came back online. The Welsh Labour leader has said that cutting the speed from 30mph to 20mph on residential roads would protect lives and save the NHS in Wales £92million a year. Most roads in Wales that are currently 30mph will become 20mph, but councils have discretion to impose exemptions. Mr Drakeford said the change is the ‘right thing to do’, citing a fall in urban road deaths in Spain after it made a similar move in 2019.

But Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt (pictured) said having such a limit as the default for many roads is ‘crazy’, after acknowledging there are circumstances where 20mph is a good idea. The Cabinet Minister went on to accuse Labour of ‘punishing’ motorists. Meanwhile the RAC issued an urgent warning to drivers not to rely on sat navs for the speed limit on Welsh roads, telling them to ‘pay full attention’ to signs instead. A furious backlash has seen the new signs defaced across Wales in areas including Conwy, Gwynedd, Newport, Torfaen, Wrexham and Flintshire. And the Welsh Conservatives, who are opposed to the rollout, have cited Welsh Government documents that estimate the cost to the country’s economy of increased journey times from lower average vehicle speeds at anywhere between £2.7billion and £8.9billion.

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie for Ynys Mon said: ‘The Labour Government in Cardiff supported by Plaid Cymru will be introducing a blanket 20mph speed restriction in built-up areas across Wales from September 17. In many places – outside schools, outside hospitals – 20mph is appropriate. Does the Leader of the House agree with many of my Ynys Mon constituents that this blanket approach will impact main roads and impact the Welsh economy? And will she make time for a debate on how we should be supporting the Welsh economy, not punishing it?’ Ms Mordaunt replied: ‘This is absolutely insane even by the standards of Labour’s Welsh Government.’

The Welsh Government, responding to why people say the change will cost the economy £4.5 billion, writes on its website: ‘Our assessment shows that reducing speeds to 20mph can result in an average increase of one minute per journey, nine lives saved and 98 serious injuries prevented each year. Before the law was passed, we produced an impact assessment that considered all the potential costs. This was included in the explanatory memorandum. It included the costs of any delays to travel time. The method used is now under academic debate for its effectiveness when calculating small delays. ‘So the estimated cost to the economy of £4.5 billion over 30 years may not be an accurate reflection of the true cost.’

Portsmouth was the ‘first British city to implement a 20mph speed limit on almost all residential roads to reduce road casualties and protect pedestrians and cyclists’, according to the city council’s website. Natasha Asghar, the Welsh Tories’ shadow transport minister, said this week: ‘Labour’s blanket 20mph speed limits will have a detrimental impact on our economy, emergency services, and the livelihoods of the people in Wales. That’s why in the Senedd this week, the Welsh Conservatives are forcing a final vote on the issue, telling the Labour Government to not go ahead with this ludicrous and dangerous policy. With the Labour Government’s own explanatory memorandum to their 20mph bill stating that 20mph speed limits will cost the economy up to a whopping £9billion, it’s time for Labour to focus on the people’s priorities, which they continue to neglect.’

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: ‘It’s vitally important that drivers are fully aware of the arrival of the 20mph limit in Wales, and pay full attention to all road signage. And, until sat nav systems have been fully updated, they shouldn’t rely on them to know what the speed limit is on any particular stretch of Welsh road.’ Mr Williams said compliance with 20mph limits is ‘quite poor’ and it would be ‘more effective to target areas where they are most needed’ such as on residential roads or in areas where there is high footfall. He added: ‘Even if compliance with new 20mph limits is poor, it should lead to an overall reduction in speeds which will have a positive effect on road safety.’

Today, Mr Drakeford said drivers will be allowed to ‘get used’ to widespread 20mph limits from Sunday before enforcement begins. He told BBC Breakfast: ‘I anticipate that there will be a number of weeks while people get used to a change of this sort. It is a major change. It will need time to bed in. He also said employers must make sure their workers can do their roles without breaking reduced speed limits. He told BBC Breakfast: ‘Responsible employers should organise the working day of their employees in a way that allows them to discharge the duties that fall on them in a way that allows them to do it within the law.

Meanwhile Transport for London (TfL), which Labour Mayor of London Mr Khan chairs, said it will roll out another 40 miles of 20mph zones across multiple boroughs in the capital. Once completed, nearly 90 miles of TfL roads will have been turned into 20mph limits. TfL’s walking and cycling commissioner, Will Norman, said: ‘TfL data shows that 20mph speed limits are reducing the number of collisions on London’s roads, which is why I’m pleased the 20mph programme has been expanded.’ The Conservatives have made comparisons to London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (Ulez) which was expanded by Mr Khan on August 29.

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies told MailOnline last month: ‘Labour are motivated by extreme ideology and not common sense. In London, they’ve implemented Ulez and in Wales they’re forcing through blanket 20mph zones. ‘Labour’s blanket 20mph zones will cost the Welsh economy £4.5billion yet they’re ploughing on regardless. Welsh Conservatives would scrap this extreme policy.’ Mr Drakeford first proposed the plan in May 2019 – and the Welsh Government has insisted it will reduce crashes, save lives, cut noise pollution and encourage people to leave their cars at home and walk or cycle instead.

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