Founder & Campaign Director, 20's Plenty for Us

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Rod King

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  • published Local Transport Today articles on Welsh 20mph in Briefings 2024-06-19 17:35:50 +0100

    Local Transport Today articles on Welsh 20mph

    Today there were a number of articles in Local Transport Today after recent data has been revealed on the Welsh 20mph default urban/village limit. With permission from Local Transport Today we re-publish the articles from LTT edition 894 19th June 2024.

    The article is also available here

    Read more

  • Wouldn't the money have been better spent on Teachers or Nurses

    It is often suggested that the money spent on the default 20mph limit would have been better spent of teachers or nurses. Its a valid point, £35m seems a lot om money that could have been spent on education or the NHS. So we looked at the numbers to establish exactly what difference there would have been spending that amount of money on either of these important services.

    A:

    Our starting point  is that the £33m is a one-off cost. And therefore to fairly compare spending that money we should look at a 30 year period.

    Education and teachers

    The average salary for a teacher £40,000 See StatsWales

    Admin and other costs will add 40% to this to cover NI, sickness, pensions and other direct staff costs. Note that this excludes buildings, materials, etc.

    This therefore amounts to £56,000 per annum for 30 years which totals £1.68m

    So for the one off spend of £33m it would be possible to have 20 additional teachers in the Welsh education system.

    There are 1,536 schools in Wales. This would therefore equate to 0.013 teachers per school or 1 additional teacher for every 77 schools.

    And with there being 500,000 children in Wales then this would equate to 0.00004 teachers per child, or approx 1 additional teacher for every 20,000 children.

    NHS and nurses

    The salary for a nurse with 5 years experience is between £35,000 and £38,000, average £36,500. See nurses.co.uk

    Admin and other costs will add 40% to this to cover NI, sickness, pensions and other direct staff costs. Note that this excludes buildings, materials, equipment, etc.

    This therefore amounts to £51,100 per annum for 30 years which totals £1.53m

    So for the one off spend of £33m it would be possible to have 21 additional nurses in the Welsh NHS.

    Wales has 84 NHS hospitals, so that is 1 additional nurse on a single shift for every 4 hospitals and even fewer if you spread that over 24 hr care.

    In conclusion

    When looking at capital one-off costs across a whole country then the temptation to say "lets spend it on this good cause" may seem attractive, but when considering such an investment you need to compare over the life-span of the investment. The spending of £33m or £10 per head as a one-off cost to implement a 20mph limit for most urban/village roads does actually present great value. This is especially the case when set against the advantages of lower casualty rates, lower noise levels, better public health, greater mobility equality, and protection for our vulnerable young and elderly. It is not up to say which is preferable. But we have been able to make a valid comparison between the cost of those benefits and either 1 additional teacher for every 20,000 children or 1 nurse across 4 hospitals.


  • published Why are 20mph repeater signs being removed? in FAQs 2024-04-23 10:20:15 +0100

    Why are 20mph repeater signs being removed?

    You may have heard in the news that local authorities are removing the 20mph repeater signs

    A:

    That's correct. Repeater signs are only required and allowed where there the speed limit on a section of road is changed from the normal national limit by the Highway Authority under a Traffic Regulation Order. Hence whilst 20mph repeater signs were necessary to advise drivers that the national 30mph limit no longer applies on lit roads, now that the national limit is 20mph then no repeater signs are required or allowed. 20mph repeater signs will only be found on unlit roads where the 20mph limit has been set by a Traffic Regulation Order.

     

    Hence local authorities in Wales will be removing some, but not all, 20mph repeater signs. Note that all 20mph limits will still have a large 20mph sign as you enter the limit and one indicating when it ends. 


  • published How has the guidance on exceptions changed? in FAQs 2024-04-20 09:20:51 +0100

    How has the guidance on exceptions changed?

    An update to the guidance was published on 15th July 2024. It may be found here. It takes advantage of experience from the first 6 months of implementation, including :-

    • the work of the review panel's initial report and final report
    • feedback from the Welsh Government’s 20mph Listening Programme
    • input from the County Surveyors’ Society Wales (CSSW)
    • feedback from highway authorities, incorporating public viewpoints shared with the Welsh Government.

    Note that we have produced a briefing on the casualty reductions in the first 6 months.

    A:

    20mph default speed limit – review of exceptions guidance

    The primary difference is that whereas the original guidance provided a flow chart for establishing which road could be excepted, the updated guidance leaves it more a case of balancing benefits and disbenefits of exceptions.

    But the updated guidance does clearly state that any exceptions would be limited :-

    1.3.3

    We anticipate that most speed limit changes from 20mph to 30mph will be made on A and B roads, which are typically main or strategic roads. 

    A 30mph speed limit could be set on roads if they are located outside city, town or village centres and away from places that attract frequent pedestrian and/or cyclist traffic or on roads with low housing density (less than 20 properties per km) and where if there are pedestrians and cyclists they are or could be segregated from motor traffic).

    Consequently, there is no need to reassess all roads.

    The updated guidance maintains the same guiding principle that aligns with the Stockholm Declaration that :

    2.1.1

    In line with the Welsh Government’s aspiration to support the aims of the Stockholm Declaration a 20mph speed should remain where pedestrians and/or cyclists and motor vehicles mix in “a frequent and planned manner, except where strong evidence exists that higher speeds are safe”.

    This is exactly the same as the previous guidance with the exception adding a footnote that “frequently” is to be determined by the highway authority. This seems superfluous.

    It also adds in a reference to the guidance being founded on the Safe System :

    1.1.3

    This guidance is founded on the Safe System, advocating for safe speeds that are appropriate to the features of the road, the function it serves and the physical tolerance of its users.

    The Safe System very much relies upon Safe Speeds as one of its’ foundations. The guidance references the RoSPA Factsheet which states :-

    Safe Speeds
    Speed limits in a Safe System are based on aiding crash avoidance and reducing the speed at which impacts occur, to ensure that the body’s limit for physical trauma is not reached. The Safe System aims to establish appropriate speed limits according to the features of the road, the function it serves and the physical tolerance of road users present. The setting of speed limits should also be determined by the protective quality of the road sections and vehicles in use rather than the behaviour of road users. The Safe System also works to enforce existing speed limits and to educate road users to ensure that they comply with speed limits.

    The updated guidance additionally makes reference (as we suggested) to other Welsh and UK legislation to be considered when setting exceptions :-

    3.1.3

    Highway authorities should also have regard to their wider duties and statutory functions, for example: 

    • the Equality Act 2010
    • Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013
    • the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015
    • relevant duties in the Traffic Management Act 2004 (to expedite the movement of traffic) 
    • the Road Traffic Act 1988 (to prevent accidents)
    • the 1984 Act (duty on local highway authorities so far as practicable having regard to the matters specified in section 122(2) of the Act to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of vehicular and other traffic, including pedestrians when exercising functions under the 1984 Act such as the setting of speed limits).

    We note that the previous guidance allowed “deviations from the guidance”:-

    2.2.11 Where their decision deviates from this guidance highway authorities should have a clear and reasoned case.

    This is repeated in the updated guidance with the statement in 2.2.2:

    Highway authorities can deviate from this guidance. In such cases, they are advised to provide a clear and well-reasoned justification for their decision.

    We do not see any substantive difference between these. Any Traffic Regulation Order to set a 30mph limit must have a Statement of Reason that is clear and well justified.

    We note that the updated guidance specifically references in 3.1.2  that:

    In certain situations, it may be feasible to reconcile seemingly conflicting objectives, by adjusting the road infrastructure. 

     For example, installing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists could effectively address both concerns. 

    Hence providing such infrastructure could well be a condition of an increase in speed limit.

    We also note that where an assessment supports 20mph then there may be a case for “bus priority” measures:

    4.5.2

    If the assessment undertaken largely supports retaining the 20mph speed limit, but evidence shows that there are significant impacts on bus routes, resulting in increased journey times and subsequent cuts to services or areas served, then the implementation of bus priority measures along the affected routes should be considered).

    Conclusion

    On balance we support this updated guidance. Th updated guidance is much more a nuancing that could help reduce any anomalies introduced previously rather than any roll-back. Such a review and update was expected and planned.

    • It is very clear that responsibility for setting local speed limits that differ from the national speed lies with local highway authorities.
    • It re-enforces the principle of the Stockholm Declaration and now includes the Safe System.
    • It adds the reminder to consider other Welsh and UK legislation.
    • It provides examples of where protection for walking and cycling can be maintained by either keeping the national 20mph limit, or providing infrastructure in a 30mph limit.

    We also note that besides the guidance there are civil liability issues for highway authorities. This is specifically identified in the following “supplementary statement” that we submitted to Welsh Government during the consultation stage which we provide for reference.

    Any increase in speed limit by 50% above the norm will still require considerable justification which, if absent, would make a Traffic Regulation Order challengeable at least and open to legal liability in extreme. As Cllr Andrew Morgan OBE, Leader of WLGA and Spokesperson on Transport commented :

    “We welcome the way the Cabinet Secretary has engaged with councils to review the original guidance and enable councils to relook at some sections of strategic routes, including bus routes.

    These are not easy decisions for councils and safety remains our priority. There will need to be a high level of confidence that, if and where the limit is raised back to 30mph, it will not result in the very risks the policy was designed to mitigate."

    We are confident that this updated guidance will provide a good basis for appropriate decisions to be made on the small number of 20mph roads where an increase to 30mph is appropriate.

    Supplementary statement from 20’s Plenty for Us to Exceptions Review consultation (April 2024)

    We welcome the consultation, but feel that a statement provides an opportunity to add a useful perspective beyond the framework of questions and answers provided.

    1. The guidance is only guidance

    Whilst it is entirely correct that the Welsh Government should provide guidance on the setting of a local speed limit other than the national limit, it must be remembered that it is only guidance. Whilst national governments have the responsibility to set a national limit for “restricted roads” with powers devolved in The Wales Act (2017), this does not allow any variations based on the type of restricted road. The only way that a different limit can be set is through the Highway Authority responsible for a road. This is done through a Traffic Regulation Order that both removes the restricted roads and sets an alternative limit. The power to do this is derived from UK-wide legislation in the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984.

    The responsibilities of UK local authorities who have Highway Authority status is not just limited to reducing casualties, but embodies a far wider set of considerations. For Welsh local authorities include both Welsh legislation (Active Travel Act, Future Generations Act,  Equalities Act) and also UK-wide legislation. This means that guidance must be considered and applied within a wider context. A good example of this may be seen in the local authority historical implementations of authority-wide 20mph in England from 2006 onwards. The Guidance in 01/2006 stated specifically in para 81:-

    “20 mph speed limits should be used for individual roads, or for a small number of roads”

    Yet between 2006 and 2009 the local authorities of Portsmouth, Islington, Oxfordshire, Lancashire and Warrington all implemented wide-area 20mph limits over hundreds of roads. In doing so they were treating the guidance as “guidance” rather than “rules”. In fact the guidance was then changed in a DfT Circular in December 2009 stating :-

    “We want to draw attention to the initial evidence from the trial of wide area signed-only 20mph limits in Portsmouth, and want to make clear that 20 mph limits over a number of roads may be appropriate elsewhere.”

    Here was recognition of both Portsmouth not complying with the previous guidelines and also a change in guidance to align with developing best practice.

    So guidance is only that. They are not “cast in stone rules” and it can be expected that local Highway Authorities should consider them alongside their wider local authority responsibilities. This also allow guidance to be developed and improved over time.

    Indeed, if local authorities such as Portsmouth, Islington and other had not gone beyond guidance then the real benefits of wide-area 20mph limits as a norm may never have been realised. Now 20 million people in England live in paces where 20mph is the urban/village norm.

    2. Civil Liability

    There are two precedents in civil law which could influence highway authorities setting speed limits that are higher than the national default.

    The High Court case of Rehman v Brady found that where a driver was exceeding the speed limit then the driver becomes 100% liable for the consequences and damages of any collision, even if a pedestrian behaved negligently. A child of 7 was walking with her mother, aunt and sister when she negligently crossed the road and was hit by a car travelling at an estimated 28 to 32mph in a 20mph limit. The court concluded that "allegations of contributory negligence will not be successful where it can be shown that the accident would not have happened at all but for the driver's negligence".

    Where a 20mph speed limit exists, liability for the consequences of a collision rests solely with the driver if they had negligently exceeded a speed limit which if adhered to would have enabled the collision to be avoided.

    In the case of Yetkin v London Borough of Newham in the Court of Appeal, the court recognised that the correct management of the roads imposes a liability on the Traffic Authority, even in cases where a road users had been negligent. Whilst the particular case was about the management of raised beds in a central reservation obscuring the view of a driver approaching a negligent pedestrian, the judgement was more general:-

    "The Highway Authority owed a duty to all road users, whether careful or negligent, to use reasonable care in the manner in which it exercised its powers when it created and maintained the crossing facility."

    "The Local Authority had a common law duty of care towards the Claimant, notwithstanding her own negligence; that duty was breached; the breach was a cause of the accident."

    From this we can deduce that if a Traffic Authority sets a speed limit which misrepresented the hazards involved then it is in breach of its common law duty of care towards both the driver and to anyone injured regardless of whether either road user was negligent. Raising the speed limit by 50% above the national speed limit may well misrepresent the hazards involved.

    These Court of Appeal precedents are an important consideration for any Highway Authority setting or raising a speed limit. Each Traffic Regulation Order for an increase in speed limit requires a Statement of Reason which should lay out the evidence that a change is appropriate. This is referred to in the guidance as requiring “evidenced application of local factors”. Whilst the officers and councillors authorising any increase in speed limit may decide to ignore this guidance, they should be mindful of potentially breaching their duty of care to all road users when exercising their powers. Merely setting a higher speed limit “because there is a lot of traffic or being a main road” would not have fulfilled  that “duty of care” and may open the Highway Authority to subsequent civil liability in the event of a collision or casualty.

    We consider that issue should be brought to the attention of Highway Authorities in any guidance provided by the Welsh Government.

    3. Stockholm Declaration

    At the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in 2020 the Stockholm Declaration was accepted by the 130 ministerial attendees, including Baroness Vere on behalf of the UK. In Resolution 11 on Speed management it states :-

    "Focus on speed management, including the strengthening of law enforcement to prevent speeding and mandate a maximum road travel speed of 30 km/h in areas where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix in a frequent and planned manner, except where strong evidence exists that higher speeds are safe, noting that efforts to reduce speed in general will have a beneficial impact on air quality and climate change as well as being vital to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries;"

    This was incorporated into the UN Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 with its objective of halving road deaths over that decade. It provides a basis that countries around the world are using for their speed management strategies. Key to this is the presumption of a 20mph or 30km/h maximum legal speed where authorities allow motors to mix with vulnerable road users. This aligns with the idea of “restricted roads” within UK urban/village settings. And this presumption mandates that there is strong evidence for setting any higher speed limit.

    It is entirely appropriate that this should be incorporated into Policy section of the guidance in para 1.2.3. This endorses the requirement for Highway Authorities to provide strong evidence of safety for vulnerable road users if setting a higher speed limit.

    4. Local Speed Limit Guidance and Vulnerable Road Users

    Throughout the UK in all guidance on speed limit setting there is reference to the needs of vulnerable road users :

    England - Circular 01/2013 Mar 24 Update Para 33

    "Different road users perceive risks and appropriate speeds differently, and drivers and riders of motor vehicles often do not have the same perception of the hazards of speed as do people on foot, on bicycles or on horseback. Fear of traffic can affect people’s quality of life and the needs of vulnerable road users must be fully taken into account to encourage these modes of travel and improve their safety. Speed management strategies should seek to protect local community life."

    Wales – Circular 24/2009 Setting Local Speed Limits 2017 Para 3.10

    "The needs of vulnerable road users must be fully taken into account in order to further encourage their mobility and improve their safety. Setting appropriate speed limits is a particularly important element in urban safety management, with significant benefits for pedestrians and cyclists. Similarly as vehicle speeds are generally higher on rural roads, collision severity and the risk to vulnerable road users are also greater. In both situations speed management strategies should seek to protect local community life."

    Both of these include “The needs of vulnerable road users must be fully taken into account”. It is difficult to see how any arbitrary consideration by a Highway Authority, such as “the road is an A or B road”, or “the road is a bus route”, or “pre-speeds were above x” could dictate that a higher speed limit than the national default was automatically applied could credibly meet this requirement. Each decision “must” take full account of the needs of vulnerable road users.

    This equally applies to the Public Sector Equality Duties whereby the Equality Act legally requires a robust consideration of the needs of those with protected characteristics. This is particularly relevant to children, elderly, mothers and those with disabilities. All are impacted by higher speeds. There are other legal implications in both the Future Generations and Active Travel legislation.

    Looking at the “Statement of reason” in some of the Traffic Regulation Orders already enacted by some Highway Authorities on exceptions to the national 20mph default, it is clear that no such consideration is evidenced. Any revision of guidance should make reference to these obligations.

    In conclusion.

    It is entirely correct to review the guidance and the way that it has been interpreted and used by Highway and Local Authorities. But this should be done with the aim of making it clearer rather than having any pre-conceived idea of diluting the guidance to allow greater freedom to set higher limits.  Freedom to set higher limits already exists within current guidance but this does come with the responsibility to do so with due diligence, adherence to the principles of speed management, wider legal obligations, to be of benefit to vulnerable road users and meet a wide range of societal outcomes.

    Rod King MBE – 20’s Plenty for Us

    12th April 2024

     

     

     


  • 20's Plenty responds to the recent DfT guidance update

    The government has recently published an update to the 2013 guidance to local Traffic Authorities on setting local speed limits. This was promised at the last Conservative Conference when it launched its "Plan for Drivers" in what is widely recognised as an attempt to gather support in anticipation of a 2024 election.

    Our response to the Department for Transport Circular 01/2013 (March 2024 revision) can be broken down into 3 areas:

    1. Why have the revisions been made?
    2. What are the key elements of the revised guidance?
    3. What will be the impact from the revised guidance?
    Read more

  • Why Not Concentrate on ‘Special’ Locations for Road Safety?

    20’s Plenty is often asked if limiting most of a built up area road network to 20mph somehow diminishes the focus (e.g. funding or driver attention) away from places that are especially dangerous – such as those with a history of casualties or where children congregate? 

    This question often comes from road safety professionals.  Turning most roads 20mph could seem a simplistic response to road danger if there are hot spots of clustered casualties, or vulnerable people, that apparently warrant relatively expensive road layout or engineering changes.  

    Read more

  • donated 2024-01-03 13:12:48 +0000

    Wheelie Bin Stickers

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  • published What about this latest Senedd petition in FAQs 2023-12-03 15:20:26 +0000

    What about this latest Senedd petition?

    A:

    Update 20 April 2024

    We now have the results of an FOI request for the daily signatures with Welsh postcodes. This shows that 97% of the signatures were gathered between 13th and 30th September 2023. During this period signs were still being installed and this would have meant many 20mph roads had 30mph signage and 30mph roads were assumed to be 20mph. In fact after the first two weeks of the 20mph limit being set daily signatures dropped hugely as shown by this graph of daily signings. In February 2024 the average number of daily signatures added was just 16. This is hardly a sign of rising anger but merely rising boredom by those that weren't triggered into signing in the first few weeks.

    Daily signatures for Senedd anti-20mph petition

    We also analysed the split of signatures by constituency. This was done by measuring the share of signatures in each constituency and comparing it with the share of electors. ie ((share of sigs/share of electors) -1). This shows that North Wales was over-represented in the petition by 21% compared to the national average. This is not surprising with Buckley being the N. Wales pilot area which was implemented with zero exceptions. Interestingly North West Wales in Arfon and Ynys Môn were under-represented at -45% and -9%.

     

    The 432,875 signatures reported are lower than the 14th March results due to unverified postcodes being removed. The total represents around 14% of the population in Wales, in line with other opinion surveys on 20mph - around 1 in 7 people oppose with 2 in 3 people supporting.       

     

    Update - 14 March 2024

    It is now 5 months since we reported below. The petition seems to have run out of steam and when it closed on 13/03/24 the final count of Welsh signatories shows that it increased by less than 2% in the last 5 months with just 7422 new signings. 98% of signatories were made before the signage changes had been completed. During this time many drivers would have experienced 30mph signs within 20mph areas.

    The monthly protests turning up outside Senedd have comprised about 20 people and at the close of the petition yesterday the usual people and numbers were there, being addressed by Natasha Asghar MS, whose late father was one of the original proposers of a national 20mph default as an Assembly Member in 2018. This is not a sign of "rising anger" but more boredom at opposition politicians attempting to weaponise road safety and community live-ability by creating a divisive culture war for the sake of a few votes

    The fact is that  Wales and the Welsh people are getting on with life at 20 in villages, town and cities across the country. Its not perfect and there are some 20 roads which could be set at 30 and some 30 roads that could be set at 20. But all of this is in the hands of local highway authorities. A national 20mph default urban/village limit has made Welsh communities better places to live, walk, learn, cycle, shop and work, whether you are a resident or a tourist.  Well done Wales.

    Note, final signatory numbers were:-

    Wales 441,287
    Rest of World 28,283
    Total 469,570

     

    Here is what we wrote one month into the petition in October 02023

    20mph limits for residential roads and where people are has always gained majority support. This has been legislated for in Wales over a year ago and implemented on Sept 17th 2023 with a national urban/village 20mph default with local authorities able to set exceptions. This aligns Wales with global best practice for motor vehicle speed where they mix with vulnerable road users. We have already documented the democratic route to legislation of this initiative that was launched 5 years ago with the support of Conservative, Labour, Plaid Cymru and Lib-Dem parties in Wales.

    Yet we have a petition against the national default 20mph limit that is attracting a large number of signatures and shares.

    This FAQ answer puts the petition into perspective and comes to the conclusion that whilst the number of signatures is significant, it is neither surprising nor is it representative of mainstream public opinion. 

    The basis of Senedd petitions is that you can make a statement and ask people to sign with just a few clicks and entering their email address and postcode. Once signed the petition is easily shared to social media with a couple more clicks. If the petition reaches 10,000 signatures then the Petitions Committee will consider it for debate in Senedd.

    The validity of a petition depends on what it states and the number of signatures. But what if the statement of the petition is false? How much credibility should be given to the results regardless of the number of signatures?

    Lets look at the petition in question:

    We want the Welsh Government to rescind and remove the disastrous 20mph law

    The new 20mph law is coming into force on the 17th September and it will mark the end of having socialism in power in Wales.

    Welsh Government claim to have supporting evidence stating that reducing to 20mph EVERWHERE saves lives! Yet we get flyers merely claiming that it will, and opinions from doctors that see RTCs coming into A&E. This is NOT evidence. The only true evidence is from Belfast and it states it makes NO DIFFERENCE to RTCs!

    At least one of the trial villages in Monmouthshire actually reverted their trial because it was causing absolute carnage on the roads! Mark Drakeford has come out claiming it is a success in St Brides Major but every time I go though there NO ONE is driving at 20mph.

    The Welsh Government has FAILED to produce ANY convincing evidence to support these claims of safety. This law is being spearheaded by the WG Climate Change department and NOT Health & Safety!!
    YOU HAVE NOT LISTENED TO US.

    The Welsh Government was put there BY THE PEOPLE OF WALES, We are your boss! We demand that this foolish idea be stopped.

    The petition was created on 13th September 2023 and is collecting signatures until 13th March 2024.

    The rules for petitions are quite specific. It is our opinion that this petition breaks several of the rules, namely :-

    • It contains potentially false or potentially defamatory statements;
    • It contains language which is offensive, intemperate, or provocative. This not only includes obvious profanities, swear words and insults, but any language which a reasonable person would regard as offensive;

    We break the petition down into its elements with a critique of each and how it could contravene  the petition rules.

    Element Critique Comment with respect to petition rules
    We want the Welsh Government to rescind and remove the disastrous 20mph law

    "Disastrous" is an opinion. Different people see 20mph in different ways. The change will benefit 500,000 Welsh children, 300,000 Welsh households with no access to a car and 600,000 Welsh people with concessionary travel passes.

    Every indication from both the trials and the actual results after implementation are that speeds have reduced by a significant amount and match the intention of Senedd.

     
    The new 20mph law is coming into force on the 17th September and it will mark the end of having socialism in power in Wales. While the change in the national default speed limit for restricted roads from 30mph to 20mph came in on 17th September, the view that this will "end socialism" is speculation and opinion. Although that may be the petitioner's aspiration,  20mph limits have been implemented by councils of all political colours. There is no evidence of "17th September marking the end of having socialism in power in Wales."

    Hence this is a "false statement"
    Welsh Government claim to have supporting evidence stating that reducing to 20mph EVERWHERE saves lives! Yet we get flyers merely claiming that it will, and opinions from doctors that see RTCs coming into A&E. This is NOT evidence. The only true evidence is from Belfast and it states it makes NO DIFFERENCE to RTCs!

    There is no plan to implement 20mph "everywhere". In covering "restricted roads" in built-up areas it automatically excludes unrestricted 40mph roads, and 30mph roads without lighting. Local Highway Authorities are fully empowered to set local exceptions and, in anticipating the change, have excluded many roads so that they remain at 30mph.

    There is credible and strong evidence from many authorities in the UK that 20mph limits reduce casualties and protect loss of life. This includes Edinburgh, Bristol, London, Warrington, Calderdale, Cheshire West and Chester. There is already strong evidence from elsewhere that 20mph and 30km/h limits reduce casualties.

    The small city-centre 20mph limit in Belfast covered just 76 roads, including 26 that were pedestrianised with motor vehicles excluded. Since those roads had mean speeds before implementation of less than 20mph and few casualties, it is inevitable that speeds and casualties would not reduce further. Belfast's implementation is a poor example and is completely different to the Welsh implementation of 20mph as a national "default". To say that it is "The only true evidence" is not credible.

    The statement that "The only true evidence is from Belfast" is a "false statement"

    At least one of the trial villages in Monmouthshire actually reverted their trial because it was causing absolute carnage on the roads! Mark Drakeford has come out claiming it is a success in St Brides Major but every time I go though there NO ONE is driving at 20mph.

    In one of Monmouthshire's pilot villages a decision was made to retrospectively make 3 sections of roads an exception. This aligned it with the Exceptions Guidance which was publicised after the pilot commenced. 

    The comment about St Brides is anecdotal. The interim report from Welsh Government shows a significant mean speed reduction (from 28.2mph to 24.9mph). 

    The statement that "At least one of the trial villages in Monmouthshire actually reverted their trial because it was causing absolute carnage on the roads!" is false.

     

    The word "carnage" is defined as "the killing of a large number of people.". Hence its' use is both false and provocative.

    The Welsh Government has FAILED to produce ANY convincing evidence to support these claims of safety. This law is being spearheaded by the WG Climate Change department and NOT Health & Safety!!
    YOU HAVE NOT LISTENED TO US.

    As above, there is much evidence that is referenced by Welsh Government. "The state of the evidence on 20mph speed limits with regards to road
    safety, active travel and air pollution impacts".

    And "Explanatory Memorandum to the Restricted Roads (20 mph Speed Limit) (Wales) Order 2022"

    The responsibility for transport and setting national speed limits lies within the Department for Climate Change. This is entirely reasonable.

    The benefits of lower limits accrue to many departments including Health and Education and aligns with government requirements such as Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013.

    The Welsh Government has conducted due consultation and evaluation of public attitudes to 20mph limits over many years. The most recent results are available on the Welsh Government website 20mph public attitudes research.

    The statement "The Welsh Government has FAILED to produce ANY convincing evidence to support these claims of safety. " is false.

    The Welsh Government was put there BY THE PEOPLE OF WALES, We are your boss! We demand that this foolish idea be stopped.

    This fails to understand the principle of parliamentary democracy whereby elected representative set laws on behalf of all their constituents. These include those voting and not voting or eligible to vote.

    Nevertheless, 60% of people in Wales voted in the 2021 Senedd election for parties that had a national 20mph default limit in their election manifestos. It has followed all due democratic processes through Senedd, includling:

    2018 Debate launched with cross party support.

    2019/2020 Action by the government 20mph Task Force to develop recommendations to proceed with national default 20mph implementation planning.

    2020 Approval by Senedd to proceed (45 votes to 6).

    2022 Approval by Senedd of Statutory Instrument to set national 20mph limit for restricted roads (39 votes to 15) 

    See "What is the democratic mandate for a national 20mph default limit?"

     

    The petition statement fails to meet any test of whether it is accurate or factual. It misleads potential signatories with anecdotes and comments which are false. It is difficult to see how Members of Sened could take this petition seriously.

    Next steps

    Once the petition reached 10,000 signatures, the Petitions Committee is able to ask the petitioner if they wish to close the petition and the committee can then make a decision as to whether this should be debated in Senedd. In this case we understand that the petitioner has requested that the petition run its full course and be available till March 2024.

    Are the signature numbers significant?

    To date (11/10/23) it has attracted 461,014 signatures. While this is, at first sight, a lot - indeed a a record - for a Senedd petition, it is not unexpected, particularly taking into account how the debate has been highly politicised on social media.

    Of the 461,014 signatures, 27,139 were from outside Wales, including Canada (28), Falkland Islands, Ireland (50), USA (59), Northern Ireland (158), Scotland (984) and England (25,512). So how does this Welsh count of 433,865 signatures compare with the Welsh adult population? In 2019 the population was 3.136 million. Of these 500,000 were children leaving a net 2.636 million adults. Hence 16% of the adult population of Wales have signed the petition. We suggest that there are three reasons for signing:

    A. Those who do not support 20mph for residential areas

    What we know from successive UK-wide surveys on transport attitudes (see page 10) conducted by the UK Government is that 71% of people support 20mph for residential streets whilst 14% oppose it.  Hence it is reasonable to suggest that those 14% would be inclined to sign a "click and share" petition when a 20mph has been implemented as a "default" for built-up areas across Wales. This contingent would make up 369,040 (14% of 2.636 million) and would comprise 85% of the petition signatures received so far.

     

    B. Those who do not support the current government.

    A large number of the petition 'shares' on social media are politically motivated. They refer to the change specifically as "blanket" rather than "default". We know from the  2021 Senedd election results that a total of 289,802 people voted for the Welsh Conservatives, plus a further 8,586 for UKIP. Both of these parties now oppose the national 20mph default. While some may be included in A above, there will be motivation from many supporters of these parties to sign a petition that opposes what the Welsh Government has done regardless of the benefits to the population as a whole. Examples of partisan promotion of the petition are :

    Note that whilst we are neither condoning or criticising the use of social media in such a manner it is a very clear example of the politicisation and division that is being promoted and specifically targeted at this petition.

    C. Those who support 20mph but are unhappy with the way it has been implemented.

    The national change involved many thousands of roads and signage, including both boundary signs and signs within communities. It would always have been impossible to make all of these changes co-incidentally without huge additional resources in local authorities. It was inevitable and unavoidable that some signage would be contradictory and result in drivers not being fully aware of the limit on certain roads. This in turn led to many drivers incorrectly keeping to 20mph on roads which had been excepted at 30mph. This would have led to many criticising the implementation of the 20mph default whilst at the same time agreeing with its intention.  We note that the police in Wales have said that they will focus on educating drivers, rather than issuing speeding tickets during the initial implementation phase. 

     

    Conclusion

    Given the scale and complexity of this change, the numbers signing the petition are not surprising. The scale of misinformation and falsehoods both within and surrounding the petition statement, together with the politicising of the issue devalues it to the extent that it is meaningless as a basis for considering public opinion. The petition tells us what is already known, that many drivers would prefer to drive faster than what is appropriate, safe or considerate for many of the under-protected on community streets - the very people who will benefit most from the national default 20mph limit. It could be said that this actually endorses the need for the speed limit change.

    It provides a snapshot of driver opposition in a two week period in September 23 whilst signage was being changed. It reflects one side of public opinion on an issue that has majority support and minority, but significant and noisy, opposition. Given the total population of Wales and the petition statement flaws the number of signatures is neither surprising or indicative of a need to change policy. 

     

    We believe that Welsh Government and Local Authorities should be congratulated for delivering this life-enhancing and life-preserving 20mph initiative for the people of Wales which does have wide public support. Members of Senedd should recognise the flaws, misinformation and lack of evidence in this petition when considering whether it is worthy of debate in Senedd.


     


  • commented on Info 2023-09-25 09:00:24 +0100
    Hi Donald

    A caravan on the Llyn peninsula is an excellent choice. I have one myself and drove down there last weekend. I am not sure where you drove from. I live in the NorthWest of England and it usually takes 2.5 hrs to get there. For me I can travel from Warrington where there is a 20mph limit on most roads and then after crossing the border its 81 miles before I reach the first 20mph limit in Y Ffor which is a couple of hundred metres long, followed by a 20mph limit in Pwllheli. And we both know that you are lucky to get above 10mph in Pwllheli most of the time.

    Local authorities have not “opted out” towns/villages, but can set 30mph as an exception on parts of the community which had a 30mph limit but no houses, etc and where they can justify a higher limit than 20mph. Its why you will mainly find 30mph retained at the edge of a town/village with 20mph as the norm inside. Of course with the national limit changing on one day, local authorities could not instantly change the signs so there were some unavoidable anomalies in signage. I think these will be resolved fairly quickly.

    For me, the big advantage is that my grandchildren now have a 20mph route to the beach and a far more pleasant environment to be on holiday in. Experience from 20mph limits in England is that people do get used to it and what may have been a shock and initially confusing does become accepted. I think it will be great for tourism. If you are one of the 20 million people in England with a 20mph limit on your street (or one of the millions from continental Europe with a 30km/h limit) then who would want to walk to the beach or around a resort on roads where speeds 50% higher are endorsed.

    With regard to a 25mph limit, this is not so beneficial for casualties and is not allowed by the UK Government. UK-wide regulations only allow speed limits in 10mph increments.

    I am sure that in time you will see the benefits and get as used to 20mph as you are with 30mph so that you can keep enjoying the Llyn.

  • published Astounding results in Wales in Briefings 2023-09-24 14:56:40 +0100

    Astounding results in Wales

    Astounding results in Wales just one week after 20mph rollout show a 2.9mph reduction in average speeds.

    One week to the day after Wales introduced widespread 20mph limits across the country, Agilysis have released a report* analysing the impact of traffic speeds over hundreds of miles of road.

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  • The 73-year old who started Britain's 20mph revolution

    Reprinted from THE SUNDAY TIMES 24th September 2023

    A grassroots campaign that started in a terrace in Cheshire has achieved a big milestone with Wales’s new limit. It’s only a matter of time before the whole UK follows suit, says its founder

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  • published Critique of the anti-20mph Senedd petition in Briefings 2023-06-27 10:44:57 +0100

    Critique of the anti-20mph Senedd petition

    A petition to the Senedd was made and has attracted 21,920 signatures. The Senedd petitions committee has agreed that the petition should be debated by Senedd and this is to be done on 28th June 2023.

    We explore how the setting of the national 20mph limit for Wales has followed all required legislative procedures and included extensive involvement of politicians, local authorities, stakeholders, NGOs, government agencies and the public. It has also had 5 years of detailed investigation of its benefits and is in line with UK and International best practice. 

    Members of Senedd should be congratulated in approving this important legislation which will bring wide benefits to the country.

    We believe that Members of Senedd should reject this petition when it is debated on 28th June 2023, and here we explain why.

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  • published Danny Dorling 2023-05-08 15:40:53 +0100

  • published Diolch am 20 Banner in Stickers and Banners 2023-04-22 09:03:22 +0100

    Diolch am 20 Banner

    Here you can purchase our banners. They are 2m x 70cm and constructed of 225grm/sq.m polyester fabric with eyelets. 

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  • Developing Cornwall’s 20mph Programme: a rural Case Study

    Cornwall’s Conservative group won majority control of the County Council in May 2021 with a manifesto that promised 20mph with resident support. 

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  • Millions of people will benefit from the Welsh 20mph limit from Sept 2023

    The debate on the default 20mph limit coming to residential areas in Wales often focusses on what it means for drivers.  Yet, for residential areas it makes little difference to journey times. The real impact of 20mph limits will be felt by the millions of people who use our streets whilst not in motors. Those using their legs.

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  • published Newyddion Mawrth/Ebrill 2023 in Newsletters Cymraeg 2023-03-30 19:59:45 +0100

    Newyddion Mawrth/Ebrill 2023

    Ar 17 Medi 2023 bydd y rhan fwyaf o derfynau cyflymder 30mya yn newid i 20mya yng Nghymru fel y terfyn cyflymder cenedlaethol newydd. Dyma dorri tir newydd yn y DU. Mae 20’s Plenty for Us yn helpu unrhyw un sydd am groesawu’r newid hwn, fel y gall pawb ohonom helpu i wneud strydoedd Cymru yn deg unwaith eto. Gall ein tudalennau gwe helpu i roi’r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i chi a’ch ysbrydoli.

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  • published Newsletters in Wales 2023-03-30 19:58:26 +0100

  • published Newsletters English in Newsletters 2023-03-30 19:54:55 +0100

  • published Newsletters Cymraeg in Newsletters 2023-03-30 19:54:36 +0100