First Minister quotes Conservatives view on 20MPH in Senedd debate

The 20MPH speed limit debate was re-run again in the Senedd, with the First Minister using Welsh Conservative’s words to reply to criticism of the new law.

Welsh Conservative Leader Andrew Davies welcomed the return of FMQs and kicked off by asking the First Minister about “one of his most contentious policies the 20 mph default speed limit”, opening with a short exchange about the impact on blue light services – with a claim of “unintended consequence of ambulances being delayed or emergency blue-light services delayed” rejected by Mark Drakeford as “…all our blue-light services are used in Wales to dealing with 20 mph, 30 mph, 40 mph, 50 mph, 60 mph, 70mph restrictions on different roads in different contexts. They manage that perfectly successfully; they will manage this in exactly the same way”.

Mr Davies then changed tack, “By your own figures it is recognised that potentially this could have a knock-on effect on economic activity of £8.9 billion. Those are your own figures. The medium range is £4.5 billion. That isn’t an inconsiderable sum of money when you are considering the opportunities that will be taken away from the Welsh economy.

“Twenty mph zones are sensible outside schools, hospitals, care homes and other areas where the argument can be made, but the default position that, obviously, the Government have taken, to have a blanket 20 mph, is the wrong option.

“The ITV poll today shows over two thirds of the people of Wales do not agree with the policy you’ve put forward, and, indeed, the former Minister and the Member for Clwyd South has indicated that the Government have failed to take people along on this policy. So, why are you continuing to pursue the policy when it is quite clearly not accepted by the large majority of the people of Wales, and, ultimately, if you look at surveys from Belfast, the goals that you have set yourselves will not be met?”

The First Minister pointed to recent elections and the democratic output, “We will continue with the policy because the policy was voted for by people in Wales in an election, and I can tell you that any change—any change—in this area is often opposed by people before the change comes about. I am quite old enough to remember the introduction of the breathalyser, when people felt that it was perfectly okay for them so spend the day in the pub and then drive home in the car when they were quite unfit to do so. There was just as much controversy about that as there is about this, as there always is when you bring about change. Once the change is there and people see it operating in their areas, as it has been in the part of Cardiff where I live for a number of years now, then people will see the advantages and I don’t believe people will want to return to anything else.”

The First Minister then quoted previous Conservative words back, “It is not a blanket policy. Let’s just make sure that we understand what the policy is. It is a default policy and then local authorities are able to designate roads at a 30 mph speed where it is sensible for them to do so.

“I’ve been out as much as I can recently, trying to explain the policy and advocate for it. I don’t always do it as eloquently as others, so let me just quote what a different Member of the Senedd said on this in a debate here on the floor of the Senedd: ‘It’s a common sense and it’s a safe move. A person is seven times less likely to die if hit at 20 mph than 30 mph, or 10 times if they’re over the age of 60.’

“The Member ended by saying: ‘The de-facto standard for safer and people-friendly streets is now 20 mph with higher limits only where they can be justified.’

In a reveal to who had said those word he finished, “Well, I agreed with what Janet Finch-Saunders said in that debate. It is not a blanket ban. It is the default measure, as Janet said—it is the default position, which local authorities can then override when they wish to do so.”