Stats experts criticise 20mph 'one minute' claim

Claims that introducing 20mph zones would only add a minute to journey times have been criticised by the body monitoring official statistics.

It said promotional leaflets posted to Welsh homes about the move lacked transparency.

It expressed concern about how difficult it was for the public to understand and scrutinise the figure.

In response, the Welsh government said it welcomed the input and has made more information available online.

In September, Wales became the first UK nation to lower the speed limit in built-up areas.

In its letter to the Welsh government, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) queried how statistics supporting the claim "most journeys will be around one minute longer" were presented.

The OSR comes under the umbrella of the UK Statistics Authority, which works independently of government, and reports directly to the parliaments of the UK.

The OSR's Director General for Regulation Ed Humpherson said it would have been "challenging for a reader to unpick this detailed document to find and understand the data and calculations used to support this claim".

He added that "improvements could have been made to aid transparency and better support users".

The 20mph ruling met with heated opposition when it was introduced earlier this year, resulting in a record-breaking petition delivered to the Senedd containing 460,000 signatures of those wanting to axe the new rule.

However, First Minister Mark Drakeford has shown no intention of going back on the move which was implemented with the intention of reducing deaths on the road, while encouraging more people to walk or cycle.

When asked by Tom Giffard, Welsh Conservative Member of the Senedd for South Wales West, if he would heed the voices of campaigners, his reply was "no".

Mr Drakeford later added that "behind this decision lies... the lives of people who would otherwise be caught up in road traffic accidents" which would occur while travelling at faster speeds.

When members of the public were asked by BBC Wales for their thoughts one month into the new default speed limit, the response was mixed.

"It's absolutely ridiculous, I've seen push bikes go faster," said one man in Tonypandy.

Another resident of the Rhondda added that the 20mph limit was "causing mayhem and making congestion worse".

But some did concede that it had its advantages - "I feel l safer crossing the road now," said one person, while others added that it felt like a good idea "outside schools and hospitals".

Elsewhere, Gwynedd councillor Gareth Parry, whose brother was killed in 1994 by a car travelling at 30mph, called it a "fantastic change".

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "We welcome the letter from the Office for Statistics Regulation.

"The figure referred to is supported by a technical document that explains how population, car journeys and distances travelled data were used within the calculation.

"We have taken OSR's advice and have made this additional information available online."