Ten Aberconwy Roads Recommended To Return To 30mph After 20mph Review

Ten roads in Aberconwy are expected to return to 30mph following the latest review of default 20mph speed limits carried out by Conwy County Borough Council.

The proposed changes form part of a wider reassessment of the Welsh Government’s default 20mph policy, which has been under increasing scrutiny since it was introduced across Wales.

The council’s review follows earlier assessments carried out both by the Welsh Government on trunk roads and by Conwy County Borough Council itself, which have already resulted in speed limit changes in parts of the constituency.

Residents, motorists and businesses across Aberconwy have raised concerns about the impact of the policy, with critics arguing that the widespread introduction of 20mph limits has created confusion and affected local travel and economic activity.

Janet Finch-Saunders MS, Senedd Member for Aberconwy, said the latest recommendations highlighted problems with the original rollout of the scheme.

“The fact that we are now seeing more roads recommended to revert back to 30mph shows that the original rollout of the 20mph scheme was rushed and poorly thought through,” she said.

“Communities across Aberconwy raised concerns from the start, yet we are now going through repeated reviews and changes which only create further confusion for drivers.

“Every time these limits are changed it means more public money being spent on signage, consultations and administrative work. At a time when public finances are under pressure, this repeated pattern of introducing policies and then correcting them is not a smart use of taxpayer’s money.”

Mark Baker, 20mph petitioner who  inspired a national campaign after calling for the default 20mph policy to be scrapped, said the ongoing reviews across Wales demonstrated the strength of public feeling about the issue.

“The fact that councils are still having to review and change roads months after the rollout shows just how badly this policy was implemented,” he said.

“I am sceptical of the timing of the latest reviews – but make no mistake, no matter what changes are made now, voters will remember the petition and the slow response to it when they head to the polls in May. Communities across Wales made their views clear from the start, and people will be looking closely at which politicians listened to them and which ones ignored them, and which only decided to pay interest when there were seats at stake.”

The latest recommendations in Aberconwy will now move through the next stage of the council’s decision-making process before any speed limit changes are formally implemented.