Joy in Wales as 20mph blanket speed limit is scrapped after £32million, a year of anger and Welsh government's biggest-ever petition that was signed by 470,000 - including family of the minister who championed the policy

There was joy in Wales as the Labour government scrapped its blanket 20mph speed limits just a year after they were introduced.     

Wales' Transport Secretary Ken Skates had admitted that the policy was so unpopular even his own family had signed the petition against it. 

Natasha Asghar, the Welsh Conservative shadow transport minister, welcomed the news - but said the changes must be brought in quickly.

She said: 'While I appreciate that Labour and the Cabinet Secretary appear to be listening to the public on 20mph, it is unclear who will be seeing these changes and how quickly they will be implemented.

The failure of this experiment makes it much less likely that there would ever be a 20mph blanket limit in England.

And many took to X to express their delight that the policy is now dead. 

Though in Scotland, Humza Yousaf was still discussing implementing the ban in Scotland before he was ousted in May this year.

'Councils, who are already stretched due to Labour's budget cuts, will be left to sort out the mess the government has made of their 20mph policy and I cannot see there being many significant changes as a result. 

'£5 million is being given to councils in Wales, who have to bid for funding and there does not seem to be a timeline in place, which will undoubtedly lead to sheer frustration for drivers from all corners of Wales.' 

Celebrity lawyer Nick 'Mr Loophole' Freeman - famous for helping celebrities beat traffic cases - has welcomed the news.

He said: 'Ever since its inception I've called for Wales to scrap 20mph speed limit... Pleased to hear this now happened. Shame [this] doesn't create a legally binding precedent for [the] rest of [the] country. But hopefully good sense will prevail.' 

Meanwhile, Cllr Andrew Morgan, leader of the Welsh Local Government Association, said: 'These are not easy decisions for councils and safety remains our priority. There will need to be a high level of confidence that, if and where the limit is raised back to 30mph, it will not result in the very risks the policy was designed to mitigate.' 

The transport minister admitted 'errors have been made' with the scheme, which is set to be reverted in September this year with the introduction of new guidance across the country. 

This will allow local authorities to raise the speed limit to be back to 30mph on certain roads 'outside urban centres and rural residential roads with no nearby facilities'. 

They will also be increased on major routes, such as bus corridors, with minimal cyclist and pedestrian traffic and on some urban roads. 

It comes after more than half a million signatures were added to a Senedd petition opposing the divisive policy aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

Skates told the the devolved Senedd parliament: 'Errors have been made, but the new guidance will enable us to correct them, and it's my hope that [with] this guidance we will begin to see the process this autumn of changes to 20mph areas.' 

He added that while the speed limit on some routes could also be reduced, the number of these is 'likely to be dwarfed, though, by the number of roads that would revert back from 20 to 30. 

'That process will begin in the autumn,' he said. 

'Signage changes, I imagine, will be made by the end of this year, going into the next calendar year. 

'And it's my hope and expectation that by this time next year, it will be settled.' 

Skates revealed that it would cost £5 million to revert the roads back to 30mph, which is just under a sixth of the £32 million it cost for the original scheme. 

The policy was introduced in September last year, with the promise that lower speed limits would lead to fewer collisions and people injured.

The Welsh Government provided funding to Wales' 22 councils for new signs required to alert drivers of the speed limit. 

It has seen fierce opposition from the Conservatives in the Senedd, who have branded it a 'waste of time and resources'.

He said that while the policy had been in Labour's manifesto during the last Senedd election, he understood that people in Wales 'lead busy lives' and do not 'spend their evenings flicking through the programme for government'.

RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis told Mail Online: 'This decision will please a great many drivers in Wales, but it's a shame so many roads that should have always remained at 30mph were unnecessarily converted to 20mph.

'More public money now needs to be spent changing signs back at time when funds are already stretched. 

'We are very supportive of 20mph limits being implemented in places where there's a greater presence of pedestrians and cyclists as they are proven to reduce road casualties, but when used on roads that are clearly better suited to 30mph, there's a risk drivers don't obey the limit and their effectiveness is undermined.

'Among those who admit to speeding on 20mph roads, RAC research shows half (50%) of drivers say they do so because they feel the limit is inappropriate. This compares to just 28% of drivers who say they exceed the 30mph limit for the same reason.'  

Earlier this year vigilante drivers rebelled against the introduction of the 20mph speed limits after groups trashed more than 150 signs across the country.

Since September, there have been multiple reports of 20mph signs being vandalised across Wales, with one sign in Carmarthenshire having been snapped in half, while others have been sprayed in black paint to hide the 20 figures.

Carmarthenshire County Council said it was becoming 'increasingly concerned' after 'a spate of incidents' towards roadsigns - including 20mph ones.

Gwent Police figures show two recorded incidents of vandalism to speed signs since September, leading to one person being arrested and charged.

The force recorded eight incidents of speed limit sign vandalism in the five years before that.

Since the law went into force, Monmouthshire Council reported 22 incidents of vandalism to its 20mph signs. 

All councils said Welsh Government funding for new signs cover anticipated repair costs.

The Welsh scheme to reduce the default speed limit for 'restricted roads' from 30mph affects 7,700 miles of road. 

The speed limit reduction to 20mph affects 'restricted roads' - those with 'street lights spaced no more than 200 yards apart, usually located in residential and built-up areas'.

According to its own impact assessment, the 'main economic dis-benefit' of the new regime 'relates to increased journey times from lower average vehicle speeds'. It states that this could result in an economic hit of up to £9 billion over 30 years.

But the then Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said the 20mph speed limit would save lives and the cost was 'outweighed' by reduced impact on the NHS and emergency services.

Mr Drakeford has said 'the evidence is incontrovertible' that 'driving more slowly in built-up urban areas saves people's lives' and that it will save the NHS in Wales £92 million as a result.

He cited a similar scheme in Spain, saying it had cut urban deaths by 20 percent.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at The AA, said: 'Drivers completely understand and approve of 20 mph streets that protect sites of local importance such as schools, GP surgeries and residential homes. 

'However, the protection of these highly valued community assets can become diminished with more expansive 20 mph zones.

'Whenever there are significant changes proposed within local communities, we always advocate that thorough consultation with residents and businesses are carried out.'