Newslink October 2023

News: Wales’s 20mph limits
Wales’s 20mph revolution
The ADIs’ view
MSA GB is interested in how its members
have found the new limits, a fortnight after
their introduction, with a particular look at
how it will affect lesson planning and
ultimately, the L-test.
Bill Davies, a long-standing member from
Caerphilly was blunt in saying most
instructors he had spoken to viewed the new
limit as a ‘pain in the butt’ – though he was
quick to say that the new rules would not
affect him too much. “From my house to a
40-50mph dual carriageway is a couple of
minutes’ drive, so I have plenty of chance to
get my pupils out on to faster roads,” he told
Newslink. “It won’t affect me. The guys I feel
more sorry for are those based in Cardiff.
Some have said they are surrounded by
20mph zones. They do only hour-long
lessons so getting out to a quicker road
during that length of lesson is always going to
be difficult.”
Cardiff does have two major A roads going
through its heart, which are unaffected by the
lower limit, but both the A470 and A48 can be
snarled with traffic so generally, ADIs have
tried to avoid them, to avoid having a lesson
spent in a traffic queue.
“I can see this being a problem for the
DVSA,” Bill added. “Both the A roads are
accessible to the test centre, and all tests
used them before the change, but I’d imagine
that now the tests would have to have a
larger proportion of their time on those
roads. The problem will be for the tests at the
start of the day, and those nearer the end; I
can see the timings going out of the window,
as it is so hard to judge how bad the traffic will
be near some of the junctions.”
He cited other concerns. “I’m worried that
pupils will fixate on the speed limit signs and
all their other observations will go out of the
window. I know from talking to other ADIs
that they have been drumming the 20mph
limit into them for weeks. One said he’s
finding himself saying ‘watch your speed’ all
day, and he had one pupil who was so
concerned about the limit that he missed the
fact that he was approaching a zerbra
crossing and had to be stopped just short
with the duals as there was a pedestrian on it.
“Pupils aren’t watching the traffic, they are
watching the speed limit signs.”
Another issue was with the speed limit
signs themselves. “There are quite a few of
20mph limits: Some facts ...
Pedestrians have a much higher chance of
survival if hit at 20mph, with a 2.5% chance
of death, compared to 20% at 30mph.
In 2021, Spain rolled out a national 30km/h
(18mph) speed limit on most urban streets.
and saw a 20 per cent fall in mortality rate.
the old 30mph signs that haven’t come down
yet. Whether that’s an error, I’m not sure, but
it is causing confusion.”
MSA GB agrees with the road safety
aspect of 20mph areas, however, we remain
concerned that blanket 20mph zones may
make it difficult for urban ADIs to find enough
faster roads within the normal lesson times.
This may cause added expense to pupils
with the time taken in the slower areas.
DVSA will be monitoring the situation
closely to see if examiners are struggling to
find routes consistent with overall testing
standard. It may be that DVSA will have to
relocate or close test centres which can no
longer meet the required test criteria. I’m sure
instructors will work even harder to ensure
pupils gain experience on all types of roads.
Newslink asked the DVSA:
n Have the 20mph speed limits led to any
Blue light blues?
changes in L-test routes?
n Is the DVSA looking to operate out of
different sites within Wales as a result of the
reduction to the speed limits?
n Are any examiners reporting difficulties
in ensuring that all test candidates are driving
at speeds of over 20mph for long enough?
A spokesman for the DVSA said: “Driving
test centre and routes are kept under
constant review to make sure driving tests
continue to test the ability of candidates to
drive safely and independently.”
Gary Digva, founder of Road Angel, says it
is disappointing to see “such a pushback on
life-saving policies”. He added: “Although the
changes may seem inconvenient to people in
a rush, these policies will ultimately save lives
and should be considered more seriously
across the whole of Britain.”
How will the 20mph limit affect response times for emergency vehicles? Both the Police and
the Fire Service say they will continue, when safe, to exceed the speed limit when responding
to emergencies. The police added that as traffic should be moving at a slower speed,
overtaking may be safer and response times reduced.
South Wales Ambulance, however, said that there may be some effect on response times
as its current policy is that their drivers would not travel at more than 20 mph over the speed
limit on any road.
It was also claimed by many opponents that businesses would be affected. After one week
of the lower limit being in place, Tesco and Sainsburys’ home delivery schedule had not been
affected, they said.
Proof that generally, perceptions and reality are not always the same.
14 NEWSLINK n OCTOBER 2023