Welsh Government is ignoring the results of its own poll on 20mph residential speed limits and introducting “trials” in selected areas.
Over half of those who contributed to the survey were opposed to lowering the 30mph limit and a majority were strongly against it, but now Welsh Government has decided to press ahead with trials which will almost certainly become fixed.
The trails come after more widespread introduction of 50mph on 60mph roads and in the case of the multi-million development of the Heads of Valleys road around Ebbw Vale the new section has a 50mph which is no higher than before the improvement was made and it ran into extensive cost and time over-runs.
It has been claimed that 50mph limits were imposed on the M4, part of the A470 outside Cardiff and the A483 near Wrexham to reduce air pollution, but has led to long jams at peak times each day.
However opponents said the move will increase journey times, add to congestion and annoy drivers as well as raise pollution with vehicles forced to queue and run engines in slower moving traffic.
More than half of the 5,607 people who responded to the poll said they were not in favour.
But the conclusion said the self-selecting consultation was “not a representative sample of the population” and was not a reflection of the general public view.
Four of the the pilot schemes are already running, and more will be rolled out by the end of March.
- St Dogmaels, Pembrokeshire
- Llanelli North, Carmarthenshire
- St Brides Major, Vale of Glamorgan
- Buckley, Flintshire
- North west Cardiff
- Cilfrew Village, Neath Port Talbot
- Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
- Severnside, Monmouthshire
The schemes in St Dogmaels, Llanelli, St Brides Major and Buckley are already under way, while the largest speed limit reduction trial is beginning now in north Cardiff.