Wales finally admits defeat with 20mph speed limits after record-breaking petitions and fury from drivers

The Welsh Government said it was now going to listen to the will of the people. Was this not the case in the consultation or planning process?

Ken Skates, the newly appointed Cabinet Secretary for Transport in Wales, emphasised that Welsh citizens would be at the heart of the process going forward.

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A number of factors should have shown the Senedd that the Welsh people were overwhelmingly against the speed limit changes, most notably the record-breaking petition calling for the scheme to be scrapped.

Almost 470,000 people agreed that the "disastrous" scheme was not fit for purpose and called on the Government to "rescind and remove" the laws.

Not only was this a clear signal from one in seven Welsh people that they didn't want the changes, but it was also by far the most popular petition on the Senedd website.

This key issue managed to beat out allowing supermarkets to sell "non-essential" items during Covid, protesting against the closure of a hospital in Pembrokeshire and even calls to ban greyhound racing in Wales.

So what is happening going forward? It looks likely that the Government will be forced into slashing the amount of 20mph roads across the country to reflect more appropriate speeds.

Prominent members of the Senedd have already hinted at supporting calls to make 20mph the maximum limit outside of schools to protect the safety of children.

Welsh citizens are not oblivious to the fact that the 20mph speed limit changes were a major factor in bringing down many of the prominent Senedd officials, including Deputy Minister for Climate Change Lee Waters and First Minister Mark Drakeford.

Following the "super-ministry", Vaughan Gething as First Minister and Skates as Transport Secretary will be aiming to salvage support from voters after the controversial rollout of the 20mph speed limits.

Critics will inevitably speak out about the decision to reverse the policy, citing clear evidence that the scheme has led to a substantial reduction in speeding on slower roads and the safety benefits it would have if kept in place for longer periods of time.

Skates even highlighted that the Government believes that 20mph is the correct speed limit near "schools, hospitals, nurseries, community centres, play areas and in built-up residential areas".

Research from motoring organisation RAC found that half of drivers who admit to speeding on 20mph roads do so because they believe the limit is too low, despite only 28 per cent of people doing it on 30mph roads for the same reason.

Drivers in Wales are likely to see changes take place almost immediately with greater discourse on the topic, followed by periods of consultation among local authorities.

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September has been earmarked as the starting point for highway authorities to begin the process of adjusting speed limits on roads where 20mph is deemed to not be appropriate.

This will also likely coincide with the one-year anniversary of the law first being introduced in another cruel twist of irony for the Welsh Government.

It would be safe to assume that hundreds or even thousands of restricted roads across Wales will see a change once motorists have the chance to give their feedback to their local authorities and councils.

But it still begs the question. Was the political table tennis of introducing slower speed limits worth it for the Welsh Government?