The tragedy of Wales’ 20 mph speed limit, which is now to be relaxed, was that it took a good idea and ruined it by taking it to extremes. There are plenty of roads which do deserve a 20mph speed limit, but the Welsh government didn’t want to stop there: it had to impose the same limit on main roads with wide carriageways on which it feels absurd to be driving at 20mph.
When highways authorities impose an artificially low speed limit on through roads not only do they unnecessarily delay commercial traffic, they create a perverse incentive for traffic to divert onto minor roads, creating rat runs. If you are going to be stuck at 20mph on a main road – where the speed cameras are more likely to be – why not take the twisting but more direct route, where you are less likely to be caught?
The 20mph speed limit fiasco is a fascinating case study in devolution.
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