20mph - a year on
Well, it's been a bumpy ride. It was always going to be, this is a massive change, but the statistics are showing the policy is succeeding in saving lives.
In the first six months there's been a 32% drop in casualties, which is staggering.
We expected to save between eight to 10 lives in the first year; in fact the lower speed limit saved six lives in the first six months. So it's at the upper end of projections.
Casualties are down by a third - saving heartache for families, easing pressure on the NHS, and improving streets for people. So I think overall, it's been a huge success, but clearly it's been difficult and it's been unpopular, but it was always going to be.
It would have been better if the consultation that we've now seen had come in advance, that would have made life a lot easier. There was flexibility for councils to exempt some roads, and that hasn't been used in the way it could have been done. But let's not make the perfect the enemy of the good. It wasn't perfect, but it's still good, and people are driving slower. Average speeds are down.
My worry is that the behavioral advisors we had in the run up to implementation said you're going to get a section of the population who are going to be evangelists. They're going to stick to 20, they're going to be persuading all their friends. You're going to get a section of the population who are going to absolutely hate it. No matter what you do, you're not going to persuade them. What you should be focused on are the bunch of people in the middle who are going to be influenced by others and who are going to need persuading.
In the first six months we've seen behavior change. We've seen speeds come down, but now the messaging has changed - the policy hasn't changed, the messaging has changed; and all we're hearing about now is negatives.
We're hearing about how imperfect it was, how unpopular it is. And my concern is that middle group could well be influenced to drop their compliance and there’s a danger that in the next figures we might see casualties and deaths start to creep up again.
I've had taxi drivers say to me, it’s all changing in September so we don't need to bother sticking to 20. And that's the wrong message, but that's the message that they're hearing.
There's a real danger that we unwittingly undermine the success of our own policy by the tone that we're setting.
We expected to save between eight to 10 lives in the first year; in fact the lower speed limit saved six lives in the first six months. So it's at the upper end of projections.
Casualties are down by a third - saving heartache for families, easing pressure on the NHS, and improving streets for people. So I think overall, it's been a huge success, but clearly it's been difficult and it's been unpopular, but it was always going to be.
It would have been better if the consultation that we've now seen had come in advance, that would have made life a lot easier. There was flexibility for councils to exempt some roads, and that hasn't been used in the way it could have been done. But let's not make the perfect the enemy of the good. It wasn't perfect, but it's still good, and people are driving slower. Average speeds are down.
My worry is that the behavioral advisors we had in the run up to implementation said you're going to get a section of the population who are going to be evangelists. They're going to stick to 20, they're going to be persuading all their friends. You're going to get a section of the population who are going to absolutely hate it. No matter what you do, you're not going to persuade them. What you should be focused on are the bunch of people in the middle who are going to be influenced by others and who are going to need persuading.
In the first six months we've seen behavior change. We've seen speeds come down, but now the messaging has changed - the policy hasn't changed, the messaging has changed; and all we're hearing about now is negatives.
We're hearing about how imperfect it was, how unpopular it is. And my concern is that middle group could well be influenced to drop their compliance and there’s a danger that in the next figures we might see casualties and deaths start to creep up again.
I've had taxi drivers say to me, it’s all changing in September so we don't need to bother sticking to 20. And that's the wrong message, but that's the message that they're hearing.
There's a real danger that we unwittingly undermine the success of our own policy by the tone that we're setting.
I think we need to say, a year in, it's worked. It's not been perfect, but its working.
After a year people have had plenty of time to get used to it. We now need to say, this is a policy that's here to stay. It's saving lives. The police need to enforce it, and we need to accept this is the way we do things in Wales.
Yes, it is still unpopular with lots of people, we’ve had a petition of nearly half a million people. Every single time the rules of the road have changed, people have opposed to it. When the speed limits were introduced in 1935 people were opposed it, there were huge protests, same when the Belisha Beacons were brought in in the 30s - vandalism, huge protests. Same with drink-driving and the breathalyser, and with seatbelts.
There's always resistance when it comes to cars and the roads, but the facts to speak for themselves - there's been a 32% reduction in casualties, which is staggering.
There’s a danger we get the worst of both worlds. We're going to try to placate people who are never going to be placated, and we end up abandoning people who want to support this policy, and they'll gradually start to drive faster, and speeds will start to creep up again.
We need to hold firm, to hold our nerve: this policy is working. Yes, it's difficult, yes, it's unpopular. Some implementation has been imperfect - it was never going to be perfect. We said that from the beginning, but it's working. It is saving lives.
This is an edited transcript of an interview on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast
After a year people have had plenty of time to get used to it. We now need to say, this is a policy that's here to stay. It's saving lives. The police need to enforce it, and we need to accept this is the way we do things in Wales.
Yes, it is still unpopular with lots of people, we’ve had a petition of nearly half a million people. Every single time the rules of the road have changed, people have opposed to it. When the speed limits were introduced in 1935 people were opposed it, there were huge protests, same when the Belisha Beacons were brought in in the 30s - vandalism, huge protests. Same with drink-driving and the breathalyser, and with seatbelts.
There's always resistance when it comes to cars and the roads, but the facts to speak for themselves - there's been a 32% reduction in casualties, which is staggering.
There’s a danger we get the worst of both worlds. We're going to try to placate people who are never going to be placated, and we end up abandoning people who want to support this policy, and they'll gradually start to drive faster, and speeds will start to creep up again.
We need to hold firm, to hold our nerve: this policy is working. Yes, it's difficult, yes, it's unpopular. Some implementation has been imperfect - it was never going to be perfect. We said that from the beginning, but it's working. It is saving lives.
This is an edited transcript of an interview on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast
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