Drivers in Wales face yet another absurd speed limit cut at the hands of the Labour Government in Cardiff. First Minister Eluned Morgan was asked by the Welsh Conservatives to rule out 10mph zones in Wales after the administration previously sparked fury by limiting hundreds of roads to 20mph in 2022.
It came after the Road Safety Foundation published a report claiming that cutting the speed limit yet again would further prevent deaths and reduce serious road injuries. It recommended that the speed limit on all single-carriageway roads in Britain should be cut to 20mph, with some roads reduced to even more of a snail’s pace. In response, the Government said: “In some circumstances 10mph and let alone 10mph, 5mph is appropriate in terms of road speeds.”
The Tories’ Welsh spokesman on local government, Laura Anne Jones MS, said: “I’m incredibly disappointed that the Welsh Government hasn’t taken the opportunity to rule out 10mph speed zones or extending their disastrous 20mph to even more roads.
“The 20mph speed limit has already been a disaster, and reducing the limit to 10mph would be an attack on motorists that would see runners and mobility scooters overtaking cars.
“It would be farcical, and it needs to be nipped in the bud.
“Everyone would support 20mph outside schools and hospitals, but this never-ending attack on motorists has to stop. I will continue to press the Welsh Government for this reassurance.”
A speed of 10mph is the equivalent of a slow cyclist or a fast jogger, while many Brits would be able to walk 5mph with a good wind.
Dr Suzy Charman, from the Road Safety Foundation, said: “We are not saying that all speeds or speed limits should be set to these speeds.
“Rather, that infrastructure needs to be improved, or speeds reduced to ensure travel speeds are better aligned with human tolerances to crash forces.”
The Alliance of British Drivers have hit back, however, calling the latest proposals “ridiculous”.
Hugh Bladon said: “If you ban all motorised transport, you might reduce deaths and injury a bit.
“We should remember that more people were being killed and injured in the days before motorised transport, by horses and their carriages.”
On Monday, YouGov found that 52% of all adults would oppose a 10mph speed limit on some roads in cities where there is a particularly high number of pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists.
In total, 40% suggested they would support the policy, with 9% saying they do not know.
However, the levels of opposition are far higher in Wales, where residents have actual experience of slower speed zones.
In Wales, opposition to 10mph zones climbs to 62%, while support plummets to 28%.
