Wales’s New 20mph Speed Limit
This morning as I dutifully drive along at the new mandatory 20mph speed limit in Wales, I try hard to ignore the exasperation and hand gestures of the motorists behind. Whilst I respond with some Internationally recognised sign language of my own, I can’t help but ponder who could possibly have thought that this was an effective way of reducing deaths on our roads! One would naturally assume that the pent-up frustration of drivers struggling to get to work, in under two and a half weeks, would create more problems than it solved. Clearly though the Welsh Government do not concur. That’s right, Mark Drakeford, and a consortium of other arseholes, have come up with the most irritating way to spice up the daily commute!
In true form, the Welsh Government has decided that it should be quicker to knit your own home from spaghetti than complete the school run! Now overtaking someone on a mobility scooter whilst sittng astride a tortoise feels like you’re breaking the sound barrier!
Remember the old “go to work on an egg” advert from the 1960’s? Well you may actually get there faster than you would in a car these days.
It Cost How Much?
And there’s more! If you thought that banning the sale of non-essential goods during lockdown would win first prize in the competition for ludicrously stupid ideas, then you couldn’t have been more wrong. Why? Because here in God’s own land, in this wonderful country, which is after all a shining beacon of economic success, we have managed to create a monster that has cost the nation just short of £33 million. That’s right! It cost £33 million to implement the changes! Now in an inane attempt to reduce accidents we all have to drive like nuns!
Take it up into 3rd gear and you immediately risk 3 penalty points, and £100 fine. But when you only have 12 points to work with, getting 3 for driving at a fraction over 20mph does seem a bit arbitrary and manifestly disproportionate. In fact, the only crime in Wales that carries a greater penalty is putting a metal lid in the plastic recycling bin! This heinous act carries a punishment akin to medieval torture or instant death by firing squad! Still, I guess the inevitable increase in fines being dished out will help to fund the outrageous cost of rolling out this absurd new 20mph speed limit.
The Serious Bit
I know, there is, of course, a serious point to this. As you are all probably aware, a 20mph speed limit came into force in Wales on 17 September 2023. This new law makes Wales the first nation, in the UK, to impose 20mph as the default on all restricted roads. Justification, the Welsh Government says, is that reducing speeds to 20mph would only result in an average increase of just one minute per journey. Balanced against saving between 6-10 lives, 40% fewer collisions and preventing between 1200-2000 injuries, it can be argued this is a sensible exchange. If you want to read the full reasons for change given by the Welsh Government, click here. However, when it comes at such a hefty price tag, one must question whether this is really outweighed by the likely reduced impact on our NHS?
Conclusion : 20mph Speed Limit
Personally, since this new vagary became law last month, I have developed a newly minted loathing for travel. My computerised dashboard has gone into meltdown and my sat nav caught fire after going through 5 different speed zones within 200 yards! Oh well until someone invents a car that runs on broccoli, I suppose we’ll all just have to walk everywhere in our muesli sandals.
If you’ve enjoyed my observations about the 20mph Speed Limit, then why not check out more of my blogs here? The Blog Writer’s Guide to Reality!
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