Today, the Senedd debated a petition against the 20mph rollout. The petition was signed by more than 450,000 people opposing Wales' 20mph speed limit, which was created when the law came into force in September 2023.
It called for the Welsh Government "to rescind and remove the disastrous 20mph law". The petition became the largest the Senedd has ever had. Questions were later raised about the checks that were made before signatures were added.
Gareth Davies, Senedd member for Vale of Clwyd, proclaimed that "the Welsh Government has clung to the default 20mph policy thus far, not because the people asked for it, or wanted it, not because there was solid evidence that it would achieve its purported goals, but because it was the latest fashionable policy amongst the political class here and in Europe and they didn’t want to miss out on the trend." He continued, "never did it occur to them that the vast majority of people do not like this policy, to put it mildly... and that sentiment has not gone away, and won’t do." Gareth also drew attention to some of the problems that 20mph has brought to the Vale of Clwyd such as the Meliden Dip and the bus service punctuality issues that Arriva Cymru is currently grappling with.
Gareth then concluded his contribution by reiterating the Welsh Conservatives' position of support for 20mph outside of schools, hospitals, and care homes, but condemning the default 20mph policy of the Welsh Government, supported by Plaid Cymru, and calling for it to be scrapped.
The former Minister responsible for the introduction of the 20mph policy, Lee Waters, conceded that "there are things the Welsh Government should have done differently, that I should have done differently, and that local councils should have done differently. And I accept that."
Commenting following the debate, Gareth said:
“Despite the Welsh Government’s overtures to people of Wales that things will change, they have demonstrated their stubborn refusal to accept the verdict of the Welsh people, who in their wisdom, have rejected the foolish 20mph policy in the greatest act of political participation in Senedd history.
“I have consistently opposed default 20mph, and today I laid bare the evidence in the Senedd that, aside from its unpopularity, it is not achieving its purported goals of saving lives and cutting air pollution.
“Welsh Conservatives remain the only party unequivocally committed to scrapping default 20mph.”
