Wrexham MP urges Welsh Labour leadership candidates to axe 20mph policy

Wrexham’s Member of Parliament has called on the two First Minister hopefuls to ditch the Welsh Government’s 20mph policy.

Tomorrow (16 March), either Vaughan Gething MS or Jeremy Miles MS will be elected as Welsh Labour leader.

However, the winner will not become First Minister until their predecessor, Mark Drakeford, has resigned, after which point, there will be a vote in the Senedd before a formal appointment by the King.

Ahead of tomorrow’s announcement Sarah Atherton MP has written to both candidates hoping to become Wales’ next First Minister to call on them to repeal the Welsh Government’s 20mph policy.

The introduction of the default speed limit in September 2023 has not been without its problems.

A petition calling for the 20mph limit to be revoked has gained over 468,000 signatures since September 2023.

New 20mph speed signs have been damaged and defaced in the last five months.

There has also been questions of the large amount spent on promotion and communication of the speed limit – and whether councils were aware they could issue more exemptions.

In her letter to both candidates Wrexham’s Member of Parliament commented on the cost of implementing the policy, estimated to be within the region of £32 million.

Although Ms Atherton has maintained that a 20mph speed limit is appropriate around areas such as schools and hospitals, she has argued that the record-breaking petition calling on the Welsh Government to rescind the 20mph policy – which has attracted almost 470,000 signatures – cannot be ignored by Ministers in Cardiff Bay.

In her letter, Ms Atherton said:

As part of the devolution settlement, most transport policies are decided by the Welsh Government.

Lather this week, one of you will become Wales’ new First Minister.

Last September, both of you supported the introduction of the blanket 20mph speed limit in Wales and whoever becomes First Minister will decide the future of this policy.

Since the blanket introduction of 20mph, residents and businesses in Wrexham have raised serious concerns over the fact this policy has cost over £32m to implement, yet confusion over the speed limit remains, particularly when crossing over the border to England.

A large number of 20mph signs have been vandalised in protest and a lack of adequate speed limit signage, or contridictory signage may leave speeding convictions open to scrutiny.

In addition to introducing the blanket 20mph policy, the Welsh Government have scrapped all new road building projects in Wales, including much-needed upgrades.

This has led to an increase in road rage and significantly more congestion in Wrexham.

Additionally, the 20mph policy is forecast to cost the Welsh economy £3.5 billion and by slowing down our taxi and delivery drivers, the harm it is doing to our local economy is already evident.

Public transport has suffered too, with bus timetables having to be completely changed at huge cost and inconvenience to passengers and bus companies.

Pedestrians now have difficulty judging car speeds when crossing roads, as some drivers are driving 15mph while others are driving over 30mph in protest at the blanket 20mph limit.

This is poising a further risk to road safety.

Police guidelines also say that enforcement will be targeted at drivers travelling 10% over 20mph, plus an extra 4mph.

This perversely means that drivers in Wales can now legally drive past schools and hospitals at 26mph, whereas in England it remains 22mph. What is the rationale behind this decision?

No debate has taken place in the Senedd despite 470,000 people signing a petition for the 20mph policy to be repealed – the most petition signatures in Wales’ history.

Welsh Government also refused my request to compensate motorists for the damage the 20mph limit is reportedly causing to vehicles.

In Wrexham, there appears to be a standoff between Wrexham Council and Welsh Government over which roads are exempt from 20mph, who is responsibly for deciding this and when will it be fully implemented?

Despite supporting the blanket 20mph speed limit prior to its introduction, you have both committed to reviewing the policy during your campaigns.

Having engaged with a huge number of residents and businesses on this issue, the message is clear: nobody disputes 20mph limits outside schools and hospitals but this blanket rollout simply has not worked.

The 20mph policy is unfairly criminalising motorists, causing confusion on our roads and slowing Wales down.

Sarah Atherton MP commented: “This weekend will provide a new opportunity for Welsh Labour to accept ownership of its mistakes and commit to undoing the damage that has been done as a result of its blanket 20mph policy.

“While both leadership candidates supported and voted in favour of the 20mph policy, the Welsh Government cannot continue covering its ears and ignoring the collective voice of the people of Wales, hoping that the noise will disappear.

“No longer can my constituents afford a Welsh Labour Government which prioritises a ruinously expensive and unpopular 20mph policy at the expense of elderly patients languishing in the back of ambulances; our roads left in a state of disrepair and our schools oversubscribed.

“Whoever the next First Minister is, the people of Wales deserve a leader who puts their priorities ahead of vanity projects, and that includes the 20mph default speed limit.”