By Jo Pugh • Published: 22 Sep 2023 • 10:03
The 20mph speed limit applies to built up areas. Credit: Welsh Government
As of Friday, September 22, a petition against the new 20mph default speed limit in Wales has achieved an unprecedented level of support, with more than 374,000 signatures.
The petition calls upon the Welsh government to “rescind and remove the disastrous 20mph law”.
It comes after Wales became the first country in the UK to introduce the 20mph speed limit in built-up areas.
The Senedd Petitions Committee will now consider it for debate as it is well over the minimum 10,000 signature threshold.
The person who started the petition has been offered the chance to end it early, given it has now passed the threshold to be looked at by the Senedd’s petitions committee, but has declined that offer, and so it just continues to grow.
Mark Baker has explained he set the petition up due to his frustration that a huge policy was brought in without proper consultation, reported Wales Online.
Welsh ministers said a 20mph (32km/h) limit would reduce deaths and noise, and encourage people to walk or cycle, but it has caused controversy with some drivers.
In the Senedd, First Minister Mark Drakeford gave a one-word answer to the idea of scrapping the new speed limit on Tuesday.
Tom Giffard, Welsh Conservative Member of the Senedd for South Wales West, said: “Will you commit, as the 160,000-plus strong petition asks you to, and rescind your disastrous 20mph scheme?”
Later he added: “Behind this decision lies the lives of people who would otherwise be caught up in the road traffic accidents which will not happen when people are travelling at 20mph but do happen when people are travelling at 30mph.”
Mr Drakeford accused the leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew Davies of being “determined not to tell the truth” over the 20mph speed limit policy, calling him a “disgrace”.
The Welsh Conservatives have consistently claimed it is a blanket limit, to accusations from Welsh labour that it is misinformation.
Mr Davies later wrote to the presiding officer Elin Jones demanding an apology from Mr Drakeford, saying the allegation was “of no foundation”.
“It is correct to state the previous blanket 30mph limit has been replaced by a blanket 20mph limit and it is misleading of the First Minister to claim otherwise,” he said.
Euro Weekly News reader, Phil Williams notified us of the petition following our report of the 20mph speed limit on Sunday, September 17.
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Jo Pugh is a journalist based in the Costa Blanca North. Originally from London, she has been involved in journalism and photography for 20 years. She has lived in Spain for 12 years, and is a dedicated and passionate writer.
Cars aren´t made to be driven at 20 mph, this is just more Agenda 2030 bull designed to remove our freedoms. Have you heard about places in the US where they are banning meat, dairy and new clothes? COme on people, we need to stop this crap before it starts. I´d like to see the UN, World Economic Forum and all l those other idiotic psychopathic organisation disbanded. WHo the hell do they think they are? We didn´t vote for you and your agendas, you know where you can stick them!
Agree, goes hand in hand with other rights as a biped being removed, i.e. free speech. Everything is on its head with no logic applied, all political narrative. A vehicle at twenty will generate more energy pollution as carbon, noise and heat. Logic, schools and limited other roads yes but not blanket, the percentage of tragedy is low, there but low. What are we trying to do reduce it to zero, another illogical zero policy, the few impacting the many.
That is the problem with politics lately, they grap power tempting voters with promises, then once in power for 5 years all this garbage it pushed through, ULEZ for example etc. there should be a clause placed on all political parties that if the political class fail to achieve a certain level of service to the people who they purportedly represent, then there should be a mechanism to oust them and force a new election. This would focus the system in honestly ruling in the peoples name. food for thought?
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