Mordaunt: Absolutely insane to roll out 20mph on residential roads in Wales

The Welsh Government has said cutting the speed from 30mph to 20mph would protect lives and save the NHS in Wales £92 million.
Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt (James Manning/PA)
PA Wire
Richard Wheeler14 September 2023
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

The rollout of a new 20mph speed limit for residential roads in Wales is “absolutely insane”, according to a UK Cabinet minister.

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt said having such a limit as the default for many roads is “crazy”, after acknowledging there are circumstances where 20mph is a good idea.

Ms Mordaunt went on to accuse Labour of “punishing” motorists.

The Welsh Government has said that cutting the speed from 30mph to 20mph on residential roads would protect lives and save the NHS in Wales £92 million a year.

Most roads in Wales that are currently 30mph will become 20mph, although councils have discretion to impose exemptions.

The change will be implemented from September 17 and First Minister Mark Drakeford said it is the “right thing to do”, citing a fall in urban road deaths in Spain after it made a similar change in 2019.

This is absolutely insane even by the standards of Labour's Welsh Government

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt

Speaking in the House of Commons, Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie (Ynys Mon) said: “The Labour Government in Cardiff supported by Plaid Cymru will be introducing a blanket 20mph speed restriction in built-up areas across Wales from September 17.

“In many places – outside schools, outside hospitals – 20mph is appropriate.

“Does the Leader of the House agree with many of my Ynys Mon constituents that this blanket approach will impact main roads and impact the Welsh economy?

“And will she make time for a debate on how we should be supporting the Welsh economy, not punishing it?”

Ms Mordaunt replied: “This is absolutely insane even by the standards of Labour’s Welsh Government.

“They have ignored businesses and they have ignored the public. They are pushing ahead with this scheme despite huge opposition to it and I think the latest estimate is it will cost the Welsh economy £4.5 billion.

“But more disturbingly it is going to increase individuals’ fuel bills considerably and actually be harmful to the environment.

“(Ms Crosbie) is right, there are circumstances where of course 20mph speed limits are a good idea, but having them as the default for many roads is crazy.

It is estimated that the casualty prevention savings, including the reduced impact on NHS and emergency services, could be up to £92 million every year

Welsh Government

“Instead of punishing motorists, Labour should be focusing on fixing public transport, in particular the trains.”

Ms Mordaunt added: “This situation is what the Labour Party refers to as their blueprint for governing Britain.”

The Welsh Government, responding to why people say the change will cost the economy £4.5 billion, writes on its website: “Our assessment shows that reducing speeds to 20mph can result in an average increase of one minute per journey, nine lives saved and 98 serious injuries prevented each year.

“Before the law was passed, we produced an impact assessment that considered all the potential costs. This was included in the explanatory memorandum.

“It included the costs of any delays to travel time. The method used is now under academic debate for its effectiveness when calculating small delays.

“So the estimated cost to the economy of £4.5 billion over 30 years may not be an accurate reflection of the true cost. The slightly longer travel time was the only negative economic impact identified.

“It is estimated that the casualty prevention savings, including the reduced impact on NHS and emergency services, could be up to £92 million every year.”

Ms Mordaunt is the MP for Portsmouth North.

Portsmouth was the “first British city to implement a 20mph speed limit on almost all residential roads to reduce road casualties and protect pedestrians and cyclists”, according to the city council’s website.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in