By Sam Rowlands

MS for North Wales

It’s been a year since the Welsh Government implemented their default 20mph speed limit across Wales.

There’s no doubt that it was one of the most controversial decisions in the history of Welsh devolution, and it’s a policy that I opposed then and continue to oppose now.

It led to a lot of public outcry, and nearly half a million people signed a Senedd petition against the measure – the most-signed petition in the history of the Welsh Parliament.

That’s a lot of people, and there would have been many more in Wales who were against the 20mph policy.

Welsh Conservatives have been strongly against it, and have campaigned hard on this issue. Interestingly, it’s also clear that there are people within Welsh Government who recognise that there were issues with the policy even if they still rolled it out.

Indeed, the new First Minister Eluned Morgan admitted that the way 20mph was brought in “created a problem”.

Additionally, Lee Waters, the-then Minister who enthusiastically imposed 20mph, has said that “more common sense” should have been used in the whole process.

When the Godfather of 20mph is saying that, you know that something has seriously gone wrong!

From start to finish, the Welsh Government’s attitude has showed a complete lack of common sense. Is 20mph appropriate outside places such as schools and hospitals? Yes. Are there some roads where local residents should be able to make the case for a 20mph limit? Of course.

But it’s not appropriate for a Wales-wide default speed limit to be dictated to people in Wrexham, Welshpool or Whitland by Ministers sat in their cushy offices in Cardiff Bay.

It fails to recognise how different the towns and villages of Wales are. As a policy, it’s simply ideological, and that is the most disappointing thing. There was no forethought given to how this was going to be implemented in those aforementioned towns throughout Wales.

If I have one wish for the new First Minister and her Government, it’s that we see common sense being used. Put the ideology to one side and just do what is best for the people of Wales, no matter what.

As ever, if you have any issues or queries then do get in touch with me via email - my address is sam.rowlands@senedd.wales