‘Temporary’ 50mph speed limit on A483 looks set to become permanent

A ‘temporary’ 50mph speed limit on a stretch of the A483 in Wrexham looks set to be made permanent.

In a public notice published online it is stated that “Welsh Ministers propose to make an Order in exercise of their powers under section 84(1)(a) and (2) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984”.

The ‘effect of the proposed order’ would be to impose a permanent 50mph speed limit on the stretch of the A483.

The speed limit, which has been in place since last summer, featured as part of a Welsh Government initiative to reduce the levels of nitrogen dioxide on roads across Wales where emissions have been found to exceed legal limits.

It covers the stretch of the A483 between the Gresford Roundabout and the B&Q Roundabout.

The temporary speed restrictions are part of a range of actions being introduced by the Welsh Government to improve air quality in Wales, including a new £20m Air Quality Fund, a Clean Air Zone Framework and a new Air Quality website providing local data on air pollution levels.

At the time it was stated that the measures are expected to deliver immediate improvements to air quality, with emissions estimated to potentially reduce by up to 18% at the five locations across Wales.

Speaking last summer, Minister for Environment Hannah Blythyn said: “I am committed to taking action to reduce air pollution in Wales to support a healthier future for our communities and protect our natural environment.

“Current levels of nitrogen dioxide exceed the legal limit at the five road locations, so we need to act as soon as possible.

“We have been carrying out investigations into all potential measures for reducing nitrogen dioxide levels.

“Our initial studies tell us that 50mph speed limits should have the greatest potential to improve air quality at each location.

However speed limit has faced criticism since being introduced in June 2018, with motorists regularly seen

Other locations which have seen the temporary limit introduced include the A494 at Deeside, M4 between junctions 41 & 42 (Port Talbot), M4 between junctions 25 & 26 (Newport) and the A470 between Upper Boat & Pontypridd.

Similar public notices for the above locations have also been released.

More information about the proposals to make the speed limit permanent can be found here on The Gazette’s website however if you follow the published information to discover more on the Welsh Government website you will fail, as the site has had a redesign and the instructions are no longer valid.

As we have documented many times before, Welsh Government spend huge amounts of money on Statutory / Public Notices to communicate information to you however that often takes place via expensive adverts buried in the back of newspapers with dwindling circulations.

This article is unpaid, and unprompted from Welsh Government.