Safety fears mean 'cautious' 20mph reversal

Worries about potential fatalities means there will be a "cautious approach" to reversing the 20mph speed limit on dozens of roads one Welsh county despite overwhelming local support.

A public consultation in Wrexham county, which concluded at the end of January, revealed most people wanted to see the 52 roads under consideration to revert back to 30mph.

Councils across Wales are reviewing their 20mph roads after almost half a million people petitioned the Welsh government calling for it to be scrapped.

The Welsh government said the main aim of the policy was to save lives and reduce casualties.

Dave Bithell, Wrexham council's strategic member for transport, said there were "safety concerns" over changes to the roads.

Although he has delegated powers to make the changes, he said the matter would now go before the executive board for a collective decision.

The council has never been in this position, he added.

"Whenever we have considered road speeds, it has always been to reduce them," he said.

"We have never increased speeds as a council."

Bithell said increasing speed upped the risk of harm if there was an accident, "so we need to get this right".

"I don't want it on my conscience – and I don't think the executive board want it on theirs either – if there is a fatality after the changes are made."

The Welsh government switched the default speed limit on mostly urban roads on 17 September 2023, and with some exemptions most 30mph roads became 20.

Data for the first year of the policy revealed there had been about 100 fewer people killed or seriously injured on 20 and 30mph roads.

The figures showed the number of people hurt fell by 28% compared with the same period the year before, with 10 fewer fatalities.

But the scheme, introduced while Mark Drakeford was first minister, has been one of the Welsh government's most controversial initiatives since devolution began.

The policy is now under review, and local authorities are considering whether more roads can be switched back to 30mph.

The leader of Wrexham council, councillor Mark Prichard, said the introduction of the 20mph policy had been "a mess" from the start.

"The Welsh government were told and no-one listened," he said.

"What I would say to any government, not just the Welsh government, is learn from this and don't do it again. The numbers on the petitions, the money that has been spent.

"It's millions upon millions at a time when local authorities are struggling for money."

Ken Skates, the cabinet secretary for transport and north Wales, said the main objective of the policy had been to save lives and reduce casualties.

"Building on the broad consensus that 20mph is right where people live, work and play, we want to ensure we have the right speeds on the right roads," he said.

"With Welsh government support, highway authorities have now started the formal process of reviewing their 20mph roads based on the revised guidance and the feedback they received."

Mr Skates said a number of local authorities have completed this process with more to follow in the coming weeks and months.

Wrexham council is aiming for a target date of May to complete to complete the roll-back.

While Bithell said the local authority hoped to work with road safety organisation Go Safe and North Wales Police on a campaign making people aware of the changes.