Welsh Government minister behind 20mph 'hopes' some roads will go back to 30mph

Lee Waters, MS said he wants more roads to return to 30mph following a review of the new law. Credit: Sharp End/PA Images

The minister behind Wales' tougher 20mph laws has said he "hopes" some roads will return to 30mph following a review.

Speaking to ITV Wales' Sharp End programme on Monday (29 January) deputy climate change minister Lee Waters explained councils had initially been "very nervous" to keep roads at a higher speed limit but will now be given "encouragement" to do so where suitable.

In his role in the Welsh Government, Mr Waters was instrumental in introducing the controversial law in September last year.

It meant Wales became the first UK nation to decrease the default speed limit to 20mph.

Lee Waters told ITV Wales' Sharp End councils had initially been "very nervous" to deviate from 20mph but he hopes they will be more confident to return roads to 30mph where suitable following the review.

There has been some confusion about which roads it applies to, as well as how it is enforced, with the Welsh Government taking an "education-focused" approach of showing speeding motorists a video on the dangers of driving too quickly.

Mr Waters told Rob Osborne the rule change was "the biggest change to the rules of the road in over a generation," and was "not going to be perfect on day one."

A review is now underway to look at how it has been implemented, as well as its effectiveness so far.

He said Wales' 22 councils had taken "different approaches" to the changing regulations and admitted "there are some problems that we need to iron out."

Mr Waters added: "To be fair to councils, some of these judgements are not black and white."

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However, the deputy minister for climate change added: "By and large, people are driving slower."

Sharp End presenter Rob Osborne responded by suggesting it had "never" been a question of people driving slower as they will "obey the law."

The programme also examined abuse faced by politicians. ITV Wales found three quarters of Welsh MSs and MPs who responded felt unsafe as a result of their role.

Lee Water told Sharp End the 20mph law was "the biggest change to the rules of the road in over a generation." Credit: Sharp End

Another 30% thought about leaving their job after receiving threats or abuse.

When asked about abuse he has faced after the introduction of 20mph, Mr Waters said he had recently blocked people on social media - something he has not done before - because the "tsunami" of negative comments had been "overwhelming" for his mental health.

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The minister added he had been shouted at by a man in the park in Llanelli just on Saturday.

However, Mr Waters said other people approach him to give a more positive view and tell him: '"I hated it when it came in but I've just been on the speed awareness course and I get it, and it's the right thing to do".'

He admitted "it's hard" but said he takes "some comfort" from knowing how controversial safety measures such as breathalyser tests and seat belts were at first.

You can catch up with Monday's Sharp End episode on our website.