Should the rest of Great Britain follow Wales’ example and lower the default speed limit from 30mph to 20mph?
THIS SURVEY HAS NOW CLOSED
The results are as follows:
YES: 44%
NO: 50%
NOT SURE: 6%
Votes cast: 329
Thank you for taking part.
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I live on an unadopted road with 2′ (yes 2′) potholes. The road has no drainage, no lighting, no pedestrian access and no maintenance. Each of the different Councils (Town, Rural, County) have declined to do anything with this road, until, lo and behold, the introduction of 20 mph speed limit. With the appaling condition of the road, I would defy anyone to exceed 10 mph, yet signs have been erected on the 2 means of access – 4 signs. How utterly ridiculous is this !! Time, money, resource, wasted by the same people who are ignoring pleas to adress the condition of the road. It really does beggar belief
MR M F FODEN, Swansea
0
Hello,
First time commenting on the new 20mph speed limit.
I am all for saving lives and reducing emissions as the radio adverts keep telling us.
I wonder if the Welsh government plan on reducing road tax “for less emissions” produced driving at 20mph even though the engine is on for longer due to travel time… Also should vehicle insurance company’s be made to reduce their prices for residents of Wales (or if it becomes law all over the UK) because there will be “less collisions” therefore less claims.
If anyone knows the answers to these questions I would be happy to hear them.
Jacob, Pontypool
--19
Dear Pat. Do you really think that the view of the people of Wales can be determined by a petition with as much disinformation in it as that. The ability to easily and quickly click a petition button without thinking through the issues is no substitute for a properly conducted survey that chooses a sample that represents a cross-section of society and poses balanced questions. Perhaps take a look at this survey taken just last week, scroll down to see the 20mph section. https://redfieldandwiltonstrategies.com/latest-welsh-westminster-senedd-voting-intention-16-17-september-2023/
Had internet petitions been available at the time of seat-belt or drink-driving legislation then I am sure there would have been plenty of similar petition numbers. Yet we take both those life-saving interventions for granted.
I know that you have taken issue with 20mph limits over many years. If we assume that you have looked at the issue in depth then surely you can see that the statements in the petition are completely false. Perhaps you can indicate whether you believe the petition statement is misleading or truthful.
MR ROD KING, Lymm, Cheshire
+20
Is the Welsh Government’s view really the view of the people of Wales?
Perhaps not if you look at the record breaking new petition against default 20mph.
https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/245548
Pat, Wales
--21
Over the next few years (and decades even) I believe compliance with urban speed limits – whether 20 or 30 – will improve steadily, as more and more electric vehicles will be on the road, which induce a more controlled style of driving.. meaning steadier speeds i.e. no unnecessary acceleration or braking. Drivers of automatic vehicles already know this anyway – no speed is inconvenient or awkward when you’re not governed by an unforgiving manual gearbox/clutch combination.
My neighbourhood has had a 20 limit for some time now and I’m constantly impressed by the 100% compliance by drivers of electric vehicles – quieter as well.
Hugh Jones, Cheshire west
+13
I visit Wales frequently and cannot fail to see how any speed limit set below 85th percentile has negative effect on road safety. The traffic bunching on the M4 before Brynglas Tunnels is frightening.
The 85th percentile speed is the speed which 85% of the vehicles are not exceeding. The blue “accumulated frequency” curve shows how at each higher speed point the number of vehicles not exceeding that speed point increases.
Full explanation http://www.safespeed.org.uk/speedlimits.html
Robert Bull, Bristol
0
Very expensive. It has been shown that without engineering measures, signs and cameras serve little purpose. Driver education is more important.
Lyn Hill, Lewes
--12
No. We have utter chaos here in Wales. Welsh government have made so many mistakes. They placed signs saying speed limits are enforced with cameras however the signs are totally incorrect in most areas so people do not know what the speed limit is. We have wide roads that are not built upwith very few hazards not even urban areas marked at 20 mph for miles. And very small roads which are heavily congested with pedestrians marked at 30mph. The idea of marking areas of a high risk with a lower speed limit was a warning to people however now very few people understand where the higher risk is. We are looking at 0.03% reduction in casualties at a cost over £200m with the it’s to the economy at £9b Money could be better spent at adjusting, changing road designs to improve safety at a much cheaper price. Welsh Government haven’t got a clue about road safety so should stay out of making changes they know nothing about.
Anthony Coles, Cardiff
--10