Other parts of the UK could follow Wales in mandating 20mph limits on all roads. Scottish politicians are calling for a similar measure to be implemented across the country.
Mark Ruskell, Green transport spokesperson, said: “Lower speeds save lives. There are people who are alive and well today thanks to Wales’s default 20mph limit.” Transport Secretary Michael Matheson stated that councils were “best placed” to use their local knowledge to decide where 20mph limits should be brought in, rather than through legislation, says Birmingham Live.
“We need to learn from their experience and replicate its success across Scotland,” he said. “Fundamentally it’s about safety and making our neighbourhoods more welcoming and accessible for all.
“We have already made really important progress across parts of the country, with lifesaving 20mph defaults becoming more and more common, and it’s crucial that the Scottish Government supports councils to finish the job as soon as possible.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government remains supportive of 20mph limits and continues to work with local authorities to promote their implementation on adjoining trunk roads where it is appropriate to do so.”
The law change was hugely controversial, with hundreds of thousands of people objecting via a Senedd petition. The data, from Welsh Government today, shows an average drop of 4mph at nine sites where speeds were monitored since the speed change.
Sensors were placed on main roads which were largely free of restrictions that reduce traffic speeds, such as traffic calming, and were all roads which were 30mph before September 17. There were 43 monitoring sites in nine areas of Wales from villages to a city. They were monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In total, the speed of 6.4m vehicles was monitored over four weeks before the law change, and 3.4m over two weeks after the law change. The deputy minister in charge of the law has said the reduction in speeds shows a “turning point”. He also said he hopes some roads will return to 30mph.
