Wales to introduce widespread 20mph zones

[AndyB]

Amending the criteria doesn't mean that any limits will actually change. That will depend on each affected council having money to review the roads in question, consult on the legislation, make the legislation and put up new signs.

[exiled]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-68859568

On the BBC as well

Some roads in Wales will revert to 30mph following backlash at the Welsh government's £34m default 20mph policy.
Transport minister Ken Skates said the changes will address the concerns that "a lot of people" have raised "on a consistent basis".
"We've put our hands up to say the guidance has to be corrected," he said.
Swansea council leader Rob Stewart welcomed the change, but said the government must help foot the bill to swap signage.
Mr Skates highlighted the almost half a million signatures to a Senedd petition opposing the policy, brought in under former first minister Mark Drakeford and his transport minister Lee Waters.
"I have friends and family who have signed the petition," he said.

Can there be an election coming up ? Surely not !

For the Senedd? In two years time.

[exiled]

Amending the criteria doesn't mean that any limits will actually change. That will depend on each affected council having money to review the roads in question, consult on the legislation, make the legislation and put up new signs.

I drove back from the AGM through Wales. I did note that the 20 limit was being observed more as a 25 limit.

[DB617]

Can there be an election coming up ? Surely not !

Quite. Drakeford was able to be brave in his premiership because in the end of it he saw the end of his political career. Now the party is desperate to re-please a certain kind of driver because Gething would probably like to be in power forever and you bet Ken Skates has eyes on the prize too. That said, depending on the parameters, a re-examination of the limit is needed in places where 20mph has been slapped on because a road used to be 30mph, even when it should never have been 30. We have discussed this previously. Unfortunately the government is repeating the talking points fed to them by the opposition (Wales is a truly strange political landscape where one Tory regional elect from a tiny village in Glamorgan holds sway over the Labour government) such as 'limits should be outside schools...' so we can expect a reversion to the old nonsense in some areas where children teleport to within 500 yards of the school gates.

Apparently a lot of the outcry has come from valleys constituencies. As in, those areas where a lot of the main routes have mine houses whose front doors open invariably onto the 1m wide footway. You can bet people who use those roads will be arguing for them to go back up in spite of the residents.

Massive parallels with the LTN roll out. These schemes are powerful in how they transform life for people unfortunate enough to live on a street whose primary purpose has been co-opted from residency to transport. Many who inflicted that grief on those residents are incensed that the ability to do so has been restricted. If they win, it's a victory for self-interest.

[fras]

Can there be an election coming up ? Surely not !

Quite. Drakeford was able to be brave in his premiership because in the end of it he saw the end of his political career. Now the party is desperate to re-please a certain kind of driver because Gething would probably like to be in power forever and you bet Ken Skates has eyes on the prize too. That said, depending on the parameters, a re-examination of the limit is needed in places where 20mph has been slapped on because a road used to be 30mph, even when it should never have been 30. We have discussed this previously. Unfortunately the government is repeating the talking points fed to them by the opposition (Wales is a truly strange political landscape where one Tory regional elect from a tiny village in Glamorgan holds sway over the Labour government) such as 'limits should be outside schools...' so we can expect a reversion to the old nonsense in some areas where children teleport to within 500 yards of the school gates.

Apparently a lot of the outcry has come from valleys constituencies. As in, those areas where a lot of the main routes have mine houses whose front doors open invariably onto the 1m wide footway. You can bet people who use those roads will be arguing for them to go back up in spite of the residents.

Massive parallels with the LTN roll out. These schemes are powerful in how they transform life for people unfortunate enough to live on a street whose primary purpose has been co-opted from residency to transport. Many who inflicted that grief on those residents are incensed that the ability to do so has been restricted. If they win, it's a victory for self-interest.

I think it has been the rise of the satnav that caused a large increase in traffic in residential streets, Rat running has been with us for decades, but not on such a scale. On an internet forum for PCN advice, we constantly see the OP saying "I was following satnav". This coupled with general ignorance of the meaning of the "Flying Motorbike" signs means councils have coined it recently.

[Bryn666]

Can there be an election coming up ? Surely not !

Quite. Drakeford was able to be brave in his premiership because in the end of it he saw the end of his political career. Now the party is desperate to re-please a certain kind of driver because Gething would probably like to be in power forever and you bet Ken Skates has eyes on the prize too. That said, depending on the parameters, a re-examination of the limit is needed in places where 20mph has been slapped on because a road used to be 30mph, even when it should never have been 30. We have discussed this previously. Unfortunately the government is repeating the talking points fed to them by the opposition (Wales is a truly strange political landscape where one Tory regional elect from a tiny village in Glamorgan holds sway over the Labour government) such as 'limits should be outside schools...' so we can expect a reversion to the old nonsense in some areas where children teleport to within 500 yards of the school gates.

Apparently a lot of the outcry has come from valleys constituencies. As in, those areas where a lot of the main routes have mine houses whose front doors open invariably onto the 1m wide footway. You can bet people who use those roads will be arguing for them to go back up in spite of the residents.

Massive parallels with the LTN roll out. These schemes are powerful in how they transform life for people unfortunate enough to live on a street whose primary purpose has been co-opted from residency to transport. Many who inflicted that grief on those residents are incensed that the ability to do so has been restricted. If they win, it's a victory for self-interest.

I think it has been the rise of the satnav that caused a large increase in traffic in residential streets, Rat running has been with us for decades, but not on such a scale. On an internet forum for PCN advice, we constantly see the OP saying "I was following satnav". This coupled with general ignorance of the meaning of the "Flying Motorbike" signs means councils have coined it recently.

Stop making excuses for bad driving would be my advice to people seeking to get out of penalties brought about by blindly doing what a computer instead of their own brain tells them to do. There's a world of difference between a poorly sighted sign (rare, but does happen), and wilfully ignoring them because "I'm a motorist!".

Toddlers always throw tantrums when caught being naughty, doesn't mean people should keep doing it in adulthood.