“The most colourful protest the Senedd will see for a long time!”
The Senedd steps are set to be filled with a splash of colour this Wednesday as 20mph protestors from across Wales are set to bring their brightest protest yet to Cardiff Bay between 1pm and 4pm.
469,571 voters signed the petition to rescind the legislation – and many of them say they feel ‘ignored’, with the sound of nearly half a million voices apparently falling on deaf ears.
While the petition was recently debated in the Senedd, the number of Senedd members who turned up for the debate was disappointingly low from the Welsh Labour side. The outcome of that debate was to merely acknowledge the petition, and no action or recommendations were made.
United Voices – Senedd Lobby Group was established in 2023 to monitor and protest against the impact of the 20mph legislation and hold the Welsh Government to account. Members of the group come from across Wales and have already held a number of protests on the steps of the Senedd. They promise this will be the most colourful protest the Senedd has seen as a long time, with members crafting various ways to illustrate the huge number of Welsh voices the group believes the Senedd are wilfully ignoring.
Some of the colourful banners made by group members to represent 469,571 people
Annette Jones (Protest Organiser and Founder of the Group said:
“This is our 13th protest on the Senedd steps and with the recent revelation that motorists in North Wales have already been fined £1.3 million pounds for driving over the 20mph limit, support is growing for the protests.
“A Wales wide protest event is now being planned for September 2024. Research has shown there is little to no environmental benefit to this speed limit.”
New data on 20mph deaths
Concerns have also been raised over the recently released police data showing the effects this speed limit is having on accident statistics and costs to the NHS, fire and police services.
The above graph illustrates the comparison between 2022 and 2023 on a quarterly basis of deaths as a result of road accidents at speeds of 20 mph and 30 mph. The graph shows that there were 2 deaths in Q4 2022 at 20 mph, whilst this increased to 7 deaths in Q4 2023, an increase of 250%.
“Time to rescind this disastrous policy”
Annette continues:
“With a £33 million cost to the Welsh tax paying public and an estimated cost of up to £8.9 billion pounds to the Welsh economy, the Welsh Labour Government need to now admit they made a mistake and rescind this disastrous and unwanted policy.
“When Welsh Government first announced their “we are listening” exercise it included a review of the current guidance that Local Authorities across Wales used to determine whether a road met the criteria for being 20mph. Members of the public were not just asked but actively encouraged to contact their Local Authority with information on roads that they felt should be returned to 30mph.
“This initially sounded like a real step forward and we were initially hopeful – until the reality of trying to get information from Local Authorities on what roads had changed from 30mph to 20mph, how members of the public should contact their council and what information was required. Some Councils also indicated that they would not accept requests for all roads to return to 30mph as that was a Policy decision for Welsh Government and directed such requests to Welsh Government.
“Some members of the public requested to their local councils that all roads should, except by schools, be returned to 30mph. Again, councils directed members of the public to Welsh Government.”
“Unfortunately, Welsh Government itself is not responding to those requests either.”
“Craftspeople and everyday people from across Wales have contributed their time and creativity to make the display, to show that they speak for 469,571 voters, who are still not getting used to it and are still angry at the imposition of one of Wales’ most unpopular policies to date. We are not going anywhere and we invite members of the public to join us on Wednesday.”
“Read Wales Transport Delivery Plan for Yourself”
20mph Petitioner Mark Baker said:
“I may be the Petitioner, but I am also one of the 469,571 who signed and cannot make this Wednesday due to work commitments. My wife will be representing me and I am grateful to those who can attend- I want to say a massive thank you to those who have given time to create a riot of colour to send a message on the steps of the Senedd to the people inside.
“The reality is that too often, ordinary voters don’t even get an acknowledgement when they write to their MS. I only got a reply from my MS after three months – and that was after I started the petition and tagged her in an angry Facebook post.
“Make no mistake, this is just the beginning and ordinary Welsh drivers now face an assault on our freedom to drive. I would urge ordinary, everyday people living and working in Wales to read for yourself page 45 of the Welsh Government’s Transport Delivery Plan to see this Government’s dystopian plan for the future of driving in Wales.
“This document mentions extreme policies like a ‘road user charging framework‘ and ‘workplace car parking levies‘ – all not mentioned in their manifesto, all hidden in plain sight. Is this what you want? It’s certainly not what I voted for.
“The Welsh Government apparently cares more about the opinions of it’s paid contractor Sustrans, who have been vocal in their support of a policy they were paid to consult on, than in supporting, rather than upholding the views of ordinary Welsh voters. I don’t think this is right – if you are around on Wednesday and expect better from our paid representatives, please join this friendly, colourful gathering and help reiterate the message, once again – Wales has clearly said no to 20mph.”
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Disclosure: Lisa Baker, Owner of Need to See IT Publishing, is Mark Baker’s wife.
While I have done my best to report fairly and accurately, I am not neutral and make no secret of supporting my husband’s campaign because I am a Welsh driver too.