Wales 20mph speed limit adviser to lead review

A transport consultant who told the Welsh government how to implement its default 20mph speed limit has been asked to review how it works.

Transport minister Lee Waters said Phil Jones, who chaired a task force on 20mph and whose company advised on the legislation, is leading the exercise.

Welsh Conservatives accused the Welsh government of marking its own homework.

The Welsh government said Mr Jones is "well-placed to assess whether clarifications... are needed".

It said the review will look at the implementation of the policy, rather than the policy itself.

Plaid Cymru said the review should be independent of those who played any part in the legislation.

The exercise is expected to look at how councils draw up 30mph exceptions to the limit.

The Welsh government has said for months it would hold a review, which has been backed by the two ministers running to replace Mark Drakeford - Vaughan Gething and Jeremy Miles.

In the Senedd on Wednesday afternoon Mr Waters said: "I've asked Phil Jones, who's leading the review for us, to consider whether further tweaks to the guidance on exceptions would be helpful, for example, by explicitly including major bus routes as one of the local criteria they can consider."

Mr Jones led a task force group formed by Mr Waters in 2019, which said a default 20mph speed limit should be introduced "as quickly as possible".

It made recommendations about how Welsh ministers should introduce the law, which came into effect last September.

A Freedom of Information Act request said that Phil Jones Associates, his company, was engaged by Welsh government to offer advice on the legislation.

After the Senedd voted, in July 2020, in favour of a national default 20mph speed limit, Mr Jones issued a press release saying he was "naturally delighted".

"A 20mph speed limit will mean safer streets and will also encourage more walking and cycling for everyday journeys - which is especially important during the Covid-19 pandemic where people are being discouraged from using public transport," he said.

On Monday the first minister Mr Drakeford accepted that the policy needed to be fine-tuned because of inconsistencies in approach between different councils.

Mr Waters has said that the proportion of roads still at 30mph varied greatly between councils - "from over 10% in Swansea and Bridgend, to under one per cent in four north Wales authorities."

Natasha Asghar, Conservative shadow transport minister, said: "The Welsh government is marking its own homework on the hugely unpopular 20mph speed limit.

"Surely the same people who recommended the Welsh government should implement this policy should not be leading the review into it, as it will hardly be impartial and a true reflection of reality."

A Plaid Cymru spokesman said: "This appointment will no doubt be seen by many as Welsh government wanting to play judge and jury. For its own credibility the review should be independent of those who played any part with the legislation."

"We need detail about how this review will be conducted, and how it intends to ensure that the further necessary exemptions are implemented promptly."

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "This review, as we set out in October, is looking at how the new default 20mph speed limit has been implemented across Wales. It is not a review into the policy itself which has been overwhelmingly supported by Senedd members from three parties.

"As Phil Jones - a highly regarded transport planner and engineer - chaired the Welsh 20mph task force group, he is well-placed to assess whether clarifications in the policy are needed to encourage greater consistency."