A woman holds a sign during a protest against 20 mph speed limits, in Cardiff, Wales, on Sept. 23, 2023.Matthew Horwood/Getty Images
When the Welsh government announced plans last fall to lower the speed limit in towns and other developed areas from 30 miles an hour to 20, ministers hailed the move as a way to make roads safer and reduce air pollution. But now, barely six months later, the government is backtracking on the idea after facing fierce public opposition.
Transport Secretary Ken Skates has acknowledged that the change bitterly divided the country and said the government will reconsider it. “We’ve put our hands up to say, ‘The guidance has to be corrected’,” Mr. Skates told news website North Wales Live on Friday. “I want communities to own speed limit decisions rather than having them imposed upon them.”
The announcement was the latest sign that politicians in Britain have become wary of voter backlash to environmentally friendly policies that many find costly.
Last week the Scottish government abandoned its flagship target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75 per cent by 2030, citing budgetary pressures. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also scrapped or delayed several green pledges, including the phasing out of gasoline-powered cars, out of concern the measures would hit taxpayers’ pocketbooks too hard. And London Mayor Sadiq Khan has faced growing discontent over the city’s extension of its ultralow emission zone, which charges drivers £12.50 a day ($21.13) if their car fails to meet emission standards.
The Welsh government announced the lower speed limit last September with great fanfare.
Months of testing and a host of studies showed that a 20 mph limit would reduce the number of accidents by 40 per cent annually and save as many as 10 lives a year. It would also improve air quality because driving dynamics at lower speeds make cars more efficient.
“This is a measure that will save lives. That is the basis on which it has been brought forward,” then-First Minister Mark Drakeford said at the time. He added that the government expected to spend about £32-million on the program, mainly for new road signs.
The change provoked a furious response. There have been several protests across Wales, and nearly 500,000 people signed a petition demanding the government reverse the change. Business groups also complained that the lower speed limit would lengthen delivery times and lead to higher prices for consumers.
Mr. Drakeford vowed to press ahead. But in December he announced he would resign as Welsh Labour Party leader and First Minister. He denied that his decision had anything to do with the controversy over the new speed limit. “When people look back on all of this, I think they will see that this was another example of Wales with a progressive government being at the forefront of developments that I think people will look back and say: whatever was the fuss about?” he said.
Economy Minister Vaughan Gething won the leadership contest to replace Mr. Drakeford and immediately signalled that the 20 mph policy would be scaled back. “Our challenge I think has been in the rollout of 20 mph. We have got some of the communication side wrong,” he said after taking over as First Minister in March.
Last week Mr. Skates, who was appointed Transport Secretary by Mr. Gething, told the Welsh parliament that the lower speed limit should only apply to streets around schools, hospitals and care homes. “Changes will be done with and for the communities that we all serve, with the voice of citizens right at the heart of all we do,” he said, adding that the government would cover the cost of reverting roads back to 30 mph.
He is expected to announce further details Tuesday.
The turnaround has not been universally welcomed. Cardiff Cycle City, which promotes more bike lanes, said it was alarmed by Mr. Skates’s announcement. “Lowering the speed of motor vehicles in our communities is a fundamentally good thing to do. It makes sense environmentally and from a road safety perspective,” the group said in a statement. “It appears that Mr. Skates has succumbed to pressure from a tiny but vocal political minority.”
The Scottish government is also receiving blowback from its decision to abandon the 2030 net-zero goal.
Energy Secretary Màiri McAllan said the government remained committed to reaching net zero by 2045; she has announced a series of measures that she said would keep Scotland on track. But doing away with the 2030 target has infuriated the Scottish Green Party, which has a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish National Party.
Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said he was “angry and disappointed,” adding that the party’s 7,500 members will hold a vote on whether to remain in the coalition with the SNP. If they vote to ditch the power-sharing agreement, First Minister Humza Yousaf has said the SNP would form a minority government but could be forced to call an early election.
Paul Waldie