It's been quite a week in Wales as the roads slowed down and the debate heated up. The biggest change on our roads for a generation was never going to be a smooth ride but the level of opposition has been striking.
A petition set up calling for the limit to be "rescinded" has topped 370,000 - over 10% of the nation's population. There have been accusations that it's been hijacked by "dark forces" and yes there have been signatures from other countries and probably a few who've signed more than once. But this shouldn't take away from the fact the change has triggered a huge negative response from those living in Wales.
So should the Welsh Government do as is being demanded in the petition? At risk of p****** off 350,000+ people (I've never wanted to be popular!) the short answer is 'no'. But it would be foolish to not listen at all to the concerns being raised.
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I'll first address the no part of that. It's not that I have any great affection for the default (what some call 'blanket') approach, my preference would have been to make it far easier for local authorities to make the changes, backed by a funding pot.
But when it comes to a democratic mandate the fact is that both Labour and Plaid Cymru had this in their 2021 Senedd manifestos and between them secured 60% of the constituency vote and 56% in the regional ballot in 2021. That is how politics should work - parties put things in their manifestos and if elected carry those pledges out.
For all the noise the Tories are making now that was the election where they should have been shouting about this. The party had backed the (clearly stated) default 20mph proposal in 2020(subject to trials and further research), it then wasn't mentioned in their 2021 manifesto, before the staunch opposition in recent months - very much after the horse had bolted.
![Andrew RT Davies](https://i2-prod.walesonline.co.uk/incoming/article27162102.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Angry-d-3JPG.jpg)
And while a 350,000 strong petition is a strong sign of discontent, we can't let social media polls, 'proper' polls, or petitions decide our laws. If people feel strongly enough then vote Tory in 2026 as they've vowed to change the default limit back.
However to dismiss it flippantly as the First Minister was accused of doing this week would be a huge mistake. Like many others I've spent a few days now driving around - on rural roads through villages and through a number of towns. If I'm honest I haven't seen the apocalyptic scenes or suffered the delays some talk of but I have also driven on parts of the network where I just don't think 20mph is the appropriate speed.
So the first area that councils - perhaps encouraged by Welsh Government and local Senedd members - need to look at is exceptions. There has been a huge variation between how local authorities have used exceptions (roads that remained 30mph after the change) - I think some have felt more constrained by the criteria than others.
Most of my driving this week has been in Conwy county where I live and off the top of my head I can think of 4/5 places where 30mph seems far more appropriate. Just one example is the road linking Tal-y-Cafn and Ty'n-y-Groes - a rural road with a handful of properties on it. I don't really understand how it even comes under the criteria for 20mph.
![A defaced sign near Llandudno](https://i2-prod.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/article27749549.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_DPP_DPW_200923GraffitiSpeed_1JPG.jpg)
Every driver will have examples in their own area - we won't always be right as maybe we're missing something a highways expert has spotted. But there has to be regular reviews. motorists need to be listened to, and councils must feel empowered and not constrained so they can make the changes to get the balance right.
Should there be a u-turn on the default limit or is everyone over-reacting? Tell us in the comments section.
Down the road from Tal-y-Cafn is an example of what I think is really good practice. Driving north into Glan Conwy and you go from 40mph to an initial 30mph on the outskirts of the village where there are fewer pedestrians and distractions. It is then in the centre of the village it turns 20mph and quite rightly as there is a zebra crossing, pub, takeaway and busy junction. Then, as you leave the village on a clear wide stretch it goes back to 40mph.
Every town and village is different but in my view that's a good blueprint of 20mph working sensibly.
The second aspect is enforcement. I was pleased this week that GoSafe is looking at a higher threshold than that usually applied with speeding enforcement. It means that fines and points don't start getting dished out until 26mph. This is the initial limit but in my view should remain in this area. Yes, the aim of this is to slow people down but pinging everyone at low speeds like 24mph will just add fuel to the fire.
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Sensible exceptions and common sense enforcement could mean the current anger is dissipated without the full scale u-turn being demanded. It could also decide how much of an issue this is in the 2026 election.
The other factor in that will be results. If Wales sees real benefits, fewer lives lost and fewer serious injuries, then for many it will mean marginally slower journeys is a price worth paying.
A failure to secure those gains will leave people asking 'was it all worth it?'.
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