Opinion remains divided over 20mph speed limits as a trial in Wales is being hailed as the way forward to improve road safety across the UK.

The controversial 20mph speed limit was introduced on most urban roads in Wales a year ago and 12 months later, the BBC reports that there have been 100 fewer people killed or seriously injured on them.

Figures show the number of people hurt fell by 28% compared with the same period the previous year, with 10 fewer fatalities.

But officials are warning that it is too early to make any determinations and data must be collected over a three-year period to be conclusive. It is also worth remembering that the scheme proved to be one of the government’s most controversial with almost 500,000 people signing a petition calling for it to be scrapped.

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Following the backlash, the BBC reports that councils are currently considering whether more roads can be switched back to 30mph.

Transport Secretary Ken Skates told the BBC: “We know there is a way to go and we’ve always said it will take a number of years to see the full impact of the policy, but to see the figures for this quarter at their lowest level is positive.”

City trial

Opinion also remains divided in Plymouth, where new 20mph zones will be introduced into two areas of the city.

The BBC reports that the speed limit will be reduced in Stoke in April and in Stonehouse within two years, despite divided views following the lowering of the limit in the Old Laira Road three years ago.

Councillors told the BBC that since the limit was reduced there, police had reported fewer crashes, with none in the past two years.

Despite the apparent safety success, motorists have accused officials of cashing in on them, with 23,500 drivers caught speeding in eight weeks during a trial period.

Opinion remains split between residents who support the lower speed limit and motorists who travel through the area and want it increased.

Councillor Mark Coker, cabinet member for transport, told the BBC the authority did not receive any money from speeding fines and that “safety, especially for local children, was the main priority of the scheme”.

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Fleet support

Following the initial results in Wales, fleets across the UK are also being encouraged to back lower speed limits to reduce injury and save lives.

Fleet World reports that Fleetcheck managing director Peter Golding believes lower speed limits will save lives, but recognises that it may hinder professional drivers such as taxi drivers and delivery drivers who have to make regular stops.

He said: “While it is fair to suggest more experience is needed to find out whether this pattern in Wales is sustained, results of this type suggest that lower limits are having a dramatic effect on casualties.

“Drivers of cars and vans who make multi-stop journeys in urban areas are often resistant to 20mph zones because they are going from appointment to appointment in difficult traffic conditions and the lower limit just feels very slow.

“There’s also an argument that lower speed limits may force some fleets, such as delivery companies, into reducing the number of drops they can make in any given time period, and it would be interesting to hear about the experience of these businesses in Wales.

“However, there remains the potential for hundreds or even thousands of fewer road casualties every year if we adopted similar measures in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and that’s something very difficult for fleets to ignore, in our opinion.”

Improving safety on our roads is something we are all in favour of and while there have been positive initial results in Wales, it is too early to determine whether it is the result of lowering the speed limit or part of an overall trend.

Lower speed limits impact professional drivers who make multiple stops so the authorities will have to balance proven statistics with the needs of all road users before a UK-wide decision is made.

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