Welsh minister responsible for 20mph speed limit QUITS role amid continued fury
The Welsh transport minister who oversaw the introduction of 20mph speed limits will leave his role in the Welsh Government in two weeks
PA
The Welsh transport minister who oversaw the introduction of 20mph speed limits will leave his role in the Welsh Government in two weeks.
Lee Waters is expected to leave the post when the new Welsh First Minister takes office.
Responding, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies demanded the speed limits be scrapped when he leaves his post.
He said: “Motorists and business owners across Wales will breathe a sigh of relief at this news.
“The Deputy Minister’s time in post has been characterised by one anti-motorist policy after another, slowing Wales down and doing serious damage to our economy.
“It’s time to scrap the road building ban, scrap the 20mph speed limit, and implement a transport policy that gets Wales moving.”
Writing on X this morning, Waters said: "Over the last 15 years I’ve spent far too much time on Twitter. It stopped being fun a while ago but I now get a pile of malign comments for even the most innocuous posts.
"When I leave my transport role in a fortnight I’ll be deleting my account. Elon can shove it up his X".
The 20mph default speed limit was introduced on residential roads in Wales in September.
Waters faced a vote of no confidence at the end of last year amid mounting fury over the 20mph speed limit.
This came after a petition calling for the policy to be scrapped gained more than 400,000 signatures.
Waters survived the vote by 42 votes to 16.
Giving a speech at the Welsh Conservative conference in Llandudno last month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tore into Welsh Labour for its implementation of 20mph zones, saying they are "holding Wales back".
Sunak said: "When you listen to those labour candidates it's painfully apparent that they don't offer anything new - it's just more of the same."
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He claimed the the Labour Party is "doing everything to make life more difficult for people".
The PM said: "Yesterday when I was out and about I was really struck by the impact of the policy of 20 mph zones - the day-to-day impact it's having on everyone's lives.
"It just shows how out of touch Labour in Wales are with the needs and concerns people are."
Waters faced a vote of no confidence at the end of last year amid mounting fury over the 20mph speed limit
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Sunak added: "'I can see why someone who likes making U-turns as much as he does, and has absolutely no plan for where he wants to take the UK, finds the idea of making everyone drive at 20mph and banning all new road building very appealing.
"But the rest of us say 'dim diolch'.
'"All they have succeeded in doing is slowing Wales down by 4mph. And the cost of this to the Welsh economy? £4billion, a billion pounds per mile (per hour)."
The Welsh Government says the changes were made in order to make streets safer and save lives.