Sadiq Khan wants 20mph limits? Well, this is how they're affecting Wales now

WALES has taken a step towards Sadiq Khan’s London this week as the long-waited and highly controversial 20mph zones finally came into force on Sunday. With some exceptions, all areas which were once 30mph drop by a third to a maximum of 20mph — a policy seen by many as firmly “anti-driver”.

- Fay Jones

Most people will tell you they don’t object to 20mph zones around schools, and even in certain areas where our rural villages with their wonky roads don’t lend themselves well to cruising in fourth gear. But this is a policy right across Wales in all residential and built-up areas, unless local authorities have opted certain areas out — and, for the most part, they haven’t.

Ministers claim this is to tackle road safety and air pollution. But the evidence shows that our roads are getting safer. According to the Welsh Government, in 2022, 4,442 people were involved in a road accident. This is down almost a quarter from 2019. Equally, fewer people were killed on the road in 2022 than in 2019 — a drop of almost 15 per cent.