Wales becomes Trumpton

[Roy Bloom]

Astonishingly successful scheme - immediately to be reviewed, due to problems caused.

If only they'd done that before introducing a blanket limit. £40m spent introducing the change, only to realise they got it wrong.

Access Restricted

www.telegraph.co.uk

I think they've got the wrong end of the stick:

Mr Waters replied: "No. We are going to look at speeds on other roads because we need to review them in line with the transport strategy. I already have people coming to me saying 'we live in a village and we have a trunk road going through it, why is it 40, it's not safe." So we want to look at, in the round, speed limits.

There will be a further review of speed limits in Wales

One council has told residents it will look at '40 mph, 50 mph, and national speed limit roads'

www.walesonline.co.uk

 

[motorbiking]

oh no there wont.. if you believe him

First Minister rules out changes to further speed limits in Wales

The aftermath of the introduction of the 20mph law rumbles on

www.walesonline.co.uk

We interviewed the man responsible for 20mph in Wales

But Lee Waters says the policy is 'here to stay'

www.walesonline.co.uk

its clearly causing them some flack and they need to back track to avoid the Welsh Tories kicking them out.

 

[Brigadier]

Astonishing!

 

[Roy Bloom]

oh no there wont.. if you believe him

First Minister rules out changes to further speed limits in Wales

The aftermath of the introduction of the 20mph law rumbles on

www.walesonline.co.uk

We interviewed the man responsible for 20mph in Wales

But Lee Waters says the policy is 'here to stay'

www.walesonline.co.uk

its clearly causing them some flack and they need to back track to avoid the Welsh Tories kicking them out.

It was always possible for local councils to apply the limits as they see fit. That's nothing new.

 

[motorbiking]

So there was no need to implement a blanket change to the speed limits then.

 

[charliegolf]

its clearly causing them some flack and they need to back track to avoid the Welsh Tories kicking them out.

Tories kicking Labour out? You have an underdeveloped knowledge of Welsh political reality. Dig Maggie up and stick a red rosette on her and she would win in Wales!

 

[Roy Bloom]

So there was no need to implement a blanket change to the speed limits then.

They haven't applied a blanket speed limit. That's the kind of untrue nonsense whipped up by opponents to fool the gullible.

 

[motorbiking]

I see the labour team moaning about this and Drakeford was reprimanded over accusing the Tories of lying over it. But the facts are this.

It is a default limit - if it applies to new limits only. It does not.
It is a blanked limit - if all existing restricted roads are amended. They have been.

Just because there is a mechanism which always existed to change them back, does not mean a blanket limit has not been set.

If all restricted roads have been amended from 30 to 20 as part of a blanket change, its pretty much what it says on the tin.

The welsh government are now blaming the councils for not opting out on roads that they felt should not be changed. Well if they didn't introduce a blanket limit change, they wouldn't have needed to. I've nothing against 20mph limits when it makes sense. But a blanket change is nonsense and it does indeed look like the welsh government will need to do something unless they don't care.

In a few months time, the stats will be in and they will show increases in accidents in 20 zones and decreases in accidents in 30 zones.

 

[motorbiking]

Tories kicking Labour out? You have an underdeveloped knowledge of Welsh political reality. Dig Maggie up and stick a red rosette on her and she would win in Wales!

At the moment more people have signed the petition to scrap the blanket change than voted for labour in regional elections.

 

[RandomGrinch]

It is a blanked limit - if all existing restricted roads are amended. They have been.

No, they haven't.
From the start, councils have had the ability to exempt roads from the changes.

The roads in Wales remaining 30mph limits as massive new default 20mph comes in

Councils can opt roads out of the 20mph limit if they want to

www.google.com

Certain criteria have to be met, but near me, certain roads were kept at 30 and the locals were saying - shouldnt this be a 20?!

Councillors and residents express concerns over proposed exceptions to new 20mph speed limit in Vale of Glamorgan - NewsDotWales

Councillors and residents raise concerns over proposed 20mph exceptions in the Vale v.1

news.wales

 

[RandomGrinch]

The welsh government are now blaming the councils for not opting out on roads that they felt should not be changed.

So, if councils had the ability to opt out roads, then wouldn't a road that was a 30 limit, remain a 30 limit? At no point would it become a 20.

Doesn't that rather contradict your point, when you say...

It is a blanked limit - if all existing restricted roads are amended. They have been.

 

[motorbiking]

No that is incorrect. They have changed the speed limit for all restricted roads. The definition of a restricted road is a road with a system of street lights <183m apart. There has to be at least 3 lights to be classed as a system.
They have always had this ability to set different limits, that is not an opt out but a requirement for a specific traffic order. do nothing and the limit changes automatically. The welsh government amended the limit on all restricted roads with a blanket change:

Here is the law https://www.legislation.gov.uk/en/wsi/2022/800/made

They don't come easier to read than that. "replace 30 with 20".

 

[noseall]

At the moment more people have signed the petition to scrap the blanket change than voted for labour in regional elections.

Crikey, you never know, but I bet a few of them are actually Welsh residents and are affected by it.

Dream on boyo, your hallowed petition won't change anything.

 

[motorbiking]

They already tried that argument. Less than 0.5% outside the region. It's not my petition, it was started by an ex Labour Party member.

 

[RandomGrinch]

No that is incorrect. They have changed the speed limit for all restricted roads. The definition of a restricted road is a road with a system of street lights <183m apart. There has to be at least 3 lights to be classed as a system.

So you are arguing a point of law.
Fair enough, but with the councils ability to 'opt out' roads from the default limit,
for all practical purposes and for the people living in Wales, there has not been a "blanket change", unless you include the nano-second of time where the new law came into effect, and the road was immediately opted out - that seems a little churlish!